


Entangled Fantasy Particles

by Manuscriptor



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Implied Physical Abuse, Mild Gore, Minor Carey/Killian (The Adventure Zone), Multi, Reluctant Heroes, non traditional soulmates, since they are only in one chapter I'm not gonna tag their characters, soulmate!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-10-18 23:23:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20647406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Manuscriptor/pseuds/Manuscriptor
Summary: Soulmate!AU where, if your soulmate is hurt or otherwise marks their skin, a corresponding mark appears on your skin in the same place.Kravitz and Taako aren't soulmates. But they love each other no matter what fate says. They live together and make jokes about the marks that appear on each other's skin.Until one day the marks get a little more than ominous. Something is obviously wrong with Taako's soulmate but he doesn't see why that's his problem. He doesn't want to do anything about someone he doesn't care about, but the universe bound them together for a reason.





	1. Spooky Movement 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: implied physical abuse, heavily in this first chapter and it remains a theme throughout

Taako rolled over in the huge king-sized bed that he and Kravitz occupied, squinting his eyes against the morning sunlight streaming through the window. He finished rolling over, settling with his back to then offending light, and looked at Kravitz, his grim-reaper-current-lover and all around morning-hater. What a hottie.

And he smirked at the pale yellowish-tan marks dotted his collarbone and neck. Since they weren't soulmates, Taako wouldn't have corresponding marks on his own neck. Instead, it meant that whoever Kravitz was connected to, had gotten up to something fun last night. The marks were positioned like hickeys, and Taako was more than a little curious to see if they were anywhere else on Kravitz’ body.

He reached up slowly to press a finger over the marks, dragging his finger along until he reached the edge of Kravitz’ collarbone and moved onto his shoulder. He was just about to go lower when Kravitz stirred and opened his eyes.

“Why are you up so early?” he grumbled in the rough-from-sleep voice that normally got Taako all hot and bothered.

“I told you, babe,” Taako said cheerfully, bopping Kravitz on his nose. “I get night terrors.” He threw back his blankets and jumped to his feet, stretching his arms over the head.

He was only wearing boxers which was what he usually wore to bed, but even then, the air was warm enough that he didn't shiver or immediately want to crawl back under to covers. And while he always joked with Kravitz about the nightmares that plagued him at night, the grim reaper didn't know that Taako wasn't entirely joking. Too often, his dreams would turn into horrible terrors of him running from an unknown threat, getting trapped on all sides, and stuck in the dark as something would beat him from all sides. Sometimes they were drowning terrors, sometimes he was burned alive. He never seemed to die, but the mental pain made it hard to sleep.

“I'm gonna go start breakfast,” he said over his shoulder, knowing it would take Kravitz a several minutes to wake up completely.

He skipped clothes because the house was a bearable temperature and cooking in only an apron and underwear was hot.

He was just finishing up mixing up several batches of pancake batter dyed different colors to make some beautiful pancake art, when Kravitz finally slumped into the doorway, yawning and rubbing his eyes. In contrast to Taako, he was dressed in a heavy dressing gown tied around his waist along with a blanket draped over his shoulders.

“Hey, babe,” Taako said, grabbing the blue pancake mix and getting ready to make a bouquet of flowers for Kravitz. “You hungry for pancakes?”

“Oh, fuck,” Kravitz mumbled. “Taako, darling, you okay?”

Taako turned, now more confused than usual, still holding the bottle of mix in his hand. “What do you mean?” he asked.

Kravitz looked much more awake than before and rushed forward, faster than he usually moved in the morning, and grabbed Taako by the shoulders. The blanket fell off his arms and crumpled to the floor, but Kravitz ignored it. Instead, he spun Taako around and ran his hands down Taako’s back.

Taako shivered, since Kravitz hadn’t had the chance to warm up yet and his hands were freezing.

“Not that I’m against the touching,” Taako said, trying to twist to see what Kravitz was looking at. “But Garfield’s _whiskers_, your hands are cold!”

“You got a mark the size of my ass on your back,” Kravitz muttered, pulling his hands away enough that Taako could turn back around and face him.

“Must be pretty big then,” Taako said with a smirk, draping his arms around Kravitz’ shoulders.

“I’m serious,” Kravitz said, pulling back when Taako leaned in for a kiss. “Your soulmate must be an absolute idiot.”

“Yeah, a fucking buffoon,” Taako said, practically hanging off Kravitz at this point and almost begging for attention. “Kiss me.”

Kravitz obliged, planting a firm kiss right on top of Taako’s lips but then pulled away again, just like before. “Your entire back is covered in pink,” he said.

Taako knew that the pink marks were from his soulmate. Well, supposed soulmate. Kravitz was his soulmate as far as Taako was concerned. The person Taako was _connected_ to seemed like a fighter. Taako had lost count the number mornings he had woken up with pink around his eyes or mouth, high on his cheek or across his stomach, like he was being punched in his sleep.

Kravitz worried. Taako didn’t.

His soulmate could be a fantasy wrestler for all he cared, as long as they didn’t try to take Taako away from Kravitz.

“Do you feel good?” Kravitz asked, keeping a concerned arm wrapped around Taako.

Taako gave him a smirk. “Ask me that tonight, babe, and I’ll probably say yes.”

Kravitz gave him a stern look. “I’m serious, Taako,” he said, and the way he said it was definitely serious too. “Do you feel okay? Those marks are so big. I sometimes worry about your soulmate.”

“Soulmate, shmoulmate,” Taako said. “I have you.”

Kravitz sighed, apparently resigning himself to not getting any information out of his boyfriend. He unhooked his arm and took a seat at the table, giving Taako an appreciative smile when he supplied him with a cup of coffee.

“Thanks,” he said, taking a sip and relaxing at the magically enhanced taste. “You know I’m just worried about you, right?”

Taako shrugged, turning back to his pancake mix and preparing to start cooking once again. “It’s not me you should be worried about,” he said. “It’s whoever I’m connected to. Besides, you know stuff like this always happens.”

“Never so big,” Kravitz mused, more to himself than anything. He cradled the mug in his hands, letting the steam waft up into his face as he stared off into space, lost in thought. 

There was a moment of silence in the kitchen, a lull in the conversation. The stovetop sizzled as Taako laid down the first batch of batter, and the bird song from outside filtered through the window. It was blissful, for a moment. And then Kravitz continued talking.

“Do you ever worry?” he asked. He gestured with his mug at Taako’s back. “About stuff like that.”

“This is the first time it’s been like this,” Taako said, bending down to check to see if the bottom of the pancake was done enough to flip. “Nah, I don’t worry. I think they’re a fighter or something else crazy that straight people do.”

Kravitz raised an eyebrow. “Straight people?”

“Like Barold,” Taako said, deeming the pancake done enough to flip. “You know. _Straight people_.”

“You need to stop saying it like that,” Kravitz said. “You’ll make people angry.”

“I’ll stop saying it,” Taako retorted. “When they stop referring to me as a _gay person_.”

“You are a gay person,” Kravitz said, confused.

“Fool,” Taako said, wedging his spatula under the pancake and tossing it high into the air. He grabbed a plate and spun around, striking a pose and catching the pancake perfectly. It was shaped like a blue heart, brown around the edges and cooked to perfection. “I am a _god_,” Taako said, presenting the plate to Kravitz along with a bottle of syrup.

Kravitz smirked and accepted the pancake, declining the syrup because he knew it would taste better plain. Also, he worked with a god—god_dess_—daily. And yeah, she and Taako were pretty similar—dramatic, over-the-top, and both had seen Kravitz’ dick, which was something he didn’t really like thinking about too often. 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Kravitz said. “Do you ever worry? About your soulmate?”

“I worry about you all the time, babe,” Taako said, turning back to the skillet and pouring out another pancake for himself. It was normal shaped, a simple circle. It was still blue though, because Taako couldn’t be bothered to change batter.

“I mean the person you’re connected to,” Kravitz said, getting a little more frustrated with the conversation.

Taako only shrugged. “They’re doing their thing, I’m doing mine,” he said. “I don’t see why I should fret and fuss about a person that isn’t me or you.”

Kravitz raised an eyebrow. “Lup?”

“She’s basically me,” Taako said with a smirk. “I mean, we are basically each other’s mirror. I’m just a better looking mirror.”

Kravitz shook his head and cut himself a bite of pancake. Now Taako was successfully distracting him. He stuffed the bite into his mouth and chewed, watching Taako move around the kitchen, sprinkling berries and nuts into his own pancake before flipping it not nearly flamboyantly as he had Kravitz’. The pink mark on his back didn’t fade. It wouldn’t for a day or two. By then, a new one would take its place.

Kravitz rubbed a hand along his own collarbone. He had seen the marks when he had checked the mirror and knew they were most likely hickies, which also explained why Taako was so clingy so early in the morning.

Kravitz thought about his soulmate a lot. Not Taako but the one he was connected to. He thought about who they were and what they were doing constantly. He thought about what would happen if he ever tried to find them. He thought about what would happen if they ever found him. He thought a lot.

Taako, Kravitz figured, did not think about it as much as he did. Not that it mattered. They were both happy with their lives and what they had chosen. If either of their soulmates thought differently, then they would deal with that. If they ever met them. Taako, Kravitz figured, never wanted to meet his soulmate.

Kravitz took another bite of pancake and thought.

“Do you _honestly_ ever worry?” he asked, at this point not really expecting an answer.

Taako went silent too, scraping the pan off even though he hadn’t burned anything. He poured another pancake, another circle. He shrugged again. “I guess,” he said. “But like you said, they’re probably a fighter. Bar fights and whatever.”

“Do you think it’s ever something else?” Kravitz asked, feeling more encouraged now that he got an answer.

“What do you mean?” Taako asked, not really sure where the conversation was going.

Kravitz shrugged, not really sure where it was going either.

All he could think of was the souls he would help across the river of death. Some of them—most often children’s souls taken too soon out of their bodies—would be bruised in ways that Kravitz didn’t like thinking about. The Raven Queen always took these souls to a place that Kravitz didn’t know about. She carried them gently, differently from the normal souls that she would throw into whatever afterlife they had earned.

“Well,” Taako said, flipping the next pancake to let the other side cook. “If you don’t know what you mean and I don’t know what you mean, who’s gonna be eating all these pancakes?”

Kravitz rolled his eyes but cut himself another bite of pancake. He should have known better than to try to have a super emotional, serious conversation with Taako so early in the morning.

Taako doubled checked the current pancake on the griddle to make sure it was cooked before flipping it onto a plate to rest before either him or Kravitz ate it. He poured out another one, wanting to use all the batter before eating his own breakfast. And that’s when he felt it.

It started at the base of his spine, a small twinge. It was like someone had jabbed a pen knife in his spinal column after rolling an attack of four. It wouldn’t have been a big deal, and Taako wouldn’t have said anything or even reacted at all.

But then the knife was twisted with a crit twenty, and Taako went down like a bag of bricks.

He wasn’t even aware he was on the floor until Kravitz was grabbing him and pulling him up and Taako was staring at the ceiling. The lights were horribly bright and a headache throbbed to existence on Taako’s left temple.

“Taako? Taako! Babe, talk to me,” Kravitz was saying, gently shaking Taako by the shoulders. His face was wavering slightly between normal and skeleton. “What’s wrong?”

“I . . . I don’t know,” Taako mumbled, bringing a hand to his forehead.

“You collapsed,” Kravitz said, helpfully stating the obvious.

“There was pain,” Taako remembered. “Suddenly. I don’t know where it came from.”

“Do you feel it now?” Kravitz asked. He pushed Taako down when he tried to stand. “Don’t. I’ll take you to a healer if you need it.”

“I don’t need it,” Taako said. “Babe, let me up. I’m fine. It’s already passed.” The smell of burning pancakes made him stiffen with even more urgency. “My pancakes!”

“Forget your pancakes,” Kravitz said, scooping Taako up bridal style and already starting to dissolve into smoke. “I’m taking you to a healer.”

They manifested just outside the clinic, and Taako was already shivering. It was a sunny day, but since it was still morning, the sun had yet to warm the earth to any sort of manageable temperature, especially with Taako still in his underwear. The elf shivered, clinging tighter to Kravitz.

“You could-a let me get dressed first,” Taako said. “I’ve got a reputation to protect.”

“_I’ll_ protect you,” Kravitz said, sweeping his reaper’s cloak around them both. Somehow, Taako noticed jealously, _his _entire outfit had manifested when they shadow-travelled.

They swept into clinic with the drama and style that Taako was actually proud his boyfriend was able to muster. There weren’t any other patients currently there, and the receptionist—an extremely tired looking half-orc woman—was the only one in the room.

“I need to see a doctor,” Kravitz declared loudly.

The half-orc woman, whose name tag read Mab Duncan, raised an eyebrow. “The doctor isn’t even here yet,” she said. “What do you need? He bleeding out?”

“No,” Taako said, pulling Kravitz’ robe up to his chin. “I am perfectly fine. He is just over-dramatic.”

“You’re over-dramatic, babe,” Kravitz said and then turned back to the Mab. “He collapsed while making breakfast this morning."

“I’m _not _hurt!” Taako protested. “At all. It was a fit!”

“He had a mark on his back this morning,” Kravitz explained. “From his soulmate. It was bigger than anything we’ve seen before, and I _told_ him he should be worried about it but he ignored me like usual. And then he just collapsed on the floor!”

Mab chewed her lip and then nodded. “I think I get it,” she said. She tapped her collarbone and gestured at Kravitz. “You guys aren’t connected soulmates, right? Sometimes, when emotions and feelings are strong enough, they can cross the boundary too.” She shrugged. “It happens quite a lot.”

“Feelings?” Kravitz repeated, stopping in the middle of the room.

“Pain,” Mab said with a nod. “Probably from his connected soulmate. Even if there’s nothing wrong with him, he could still feel a sort of phantom pain or other strong feelings that your soulmate is feeling. Plenty of people experience the same thing.”

“I told you nothing was wrong,” Taako said triumphantly, swatting Kravitz’ chest. “No please, magic me back to my kitchen before the pancakes start on fire and there’s no kitchen to go back to.”

Kravitz frowned and stared at Mab a moment longer. She only shrugged. He then sighed and turned back to the front door. In a moment, the glass panels had become swirling vortexes of doom that he strode straight through, and a moment later, they were back in there still-not-burnt-down kitchen.

“Thanks, babe,” Taako chirped, jumping down from his arms and hurrying to take the currently black pancake off the griddle. “You’re eating that one,” he said. He scraped down the pan quickly and then poured out another pancake.

“You’re not worried at all?” Kravitz said, unable to just sit back down and continue eating after a scare like that. “About your soulmate?”

“I told you,” Taako said. “I love _you_. Whoever I’m connected to doesn’t need me any more than I need them.”

“But they’re in pain,” Kravitz said. “And you’ve never wondered why?”

Taako shrugged. “I have you,” he said. “No reason for anything—anyone—else.”

Kravitz sighed, as if he wanted to argue the point. But he didn’t. Instead, his reaper clothes melted from his body, and he was left in his regular bathrobe. He returned to his seat at the table and pulled his plate to him, even though he had mostly lost his appetite at this point.

Taako returned to the griddle, banishing the burnt ruined pancakes to some horrid plane of existence and starting anew. He did his best to ignore the returning twinge in his lower back and focused more on making breakfast instead. There was still unspoken tension between him and Krav, but Taako knew there was very little that good food couldn’t fix.


	2. Spooky Movement 2

“Taako, I need to head off to work,” Kravitz said. “Are you _sure_ you're okay?” 

“As peachy as I'll ever be,” Taako said, shooting Kravitz a thumbs up. “Go be a big, bad reaper. I'll just be drinking and relaxing the entire day.”

While Kravitz wasn't sure if he was supposed to believe Taako at all, but those plans sounded too Taako-like for him to be lying. So Kravitz gave him one last goodbye kiss and manifested through the void to his workplace. 

Normally, the Raven Queen would greet him, question him on yesterday's missions, and inquire about what the world was like in the Land of the Living. After several minutes of stilted, formal small talk, Lup and Barry would arrive, late as always. Or “fashionably late” as Lup liked to say. And this day was no different. After spending nearly twenty minutes explaining the concept of blue pancakes to the Raven Queen, Kravitz almost sighed in relief when Lup and Barry manifested. 

The entire left half of Lup’s face was colored reddish purple, the bruise causing the eye on that side to swell half-closed. The corresponding side of Barry's face was pink as well. His wasn't a bruise or a blush though. Barry and Lup were soulmates, which meant that their wounds and marks would be the same, unlike Taako's and Kravitz’s. 

Was Kravitz jealous? Perhaps. Would he ever admit that? Certainly not. 

Lup's arm was swung good-naturedly around Barry's shoulders, and they were still laughing at whatever shared joke they had even as the Raven Queen cleared her throat.

“Reapers,” she intoned, rising from her throne with a grace only she could possess while wearing what had to be twenty or more pounds of regal clothing and headdresses. “Please. Tell me of your past missions.” She was looking pointedly at Lup. 

“We had a great mission yesterday,” Barry said, speaking for both him and Lup. “And everything went fine.” He looked sideways at Lup, barely pulling back his conspiratorial smile. “You must’ve felt the souls enter your domain.” 

“I certainly did,” the Raven Queen said with a somber nod. “But I am more interested in the—” She lifted a single, skeletal hand and gestured vaguely to the left half of her own face. “Marks.” 

“Oh, that’s just us having fun with our job,” Lup said, being the one to answer this time. “You know how things go down.” 

“No,” the Raven Queen said, her voice remaining that same flat, emotionless tone. “I do not know how things go down.” 

Lup only shrugged and then winced when the movement tugged on the bruise on her face. 

“What’s in the past is in the past,” Barry said. “Why don’t we just look to the future?” 

“Your whole job is about the past,” the Raven Queen said, cocking her head. “And you have explained nothing so far.” 

Kravitz sighed and figured it would be up to him, as always, to drag everyone together and start the mission. He was basically the god of Death at this point, by status but not by name. He briefly wondered if the Raven Queen was paid any better than he was. 

“Where are we headed, my Queen?” he asked, making sure his voice still held the respect and reverence that was required. 

“To the deserts,” the Raven Queen said, sweeping a hand across the room and, with a blast of magic, opened a huge portal of stained glass depicting the rolling dunes and streaming rays of sunlight. There was even a cactus detailed in here and there. 

Kravitz frowned because he obviously didn’t do well with heat, but Lup was already changing her clothes to suit the weather—high-waisted shorts and a flowing blouse. Barry never changed his clothes no matter what the mission. Kravitz was forced to shed his normal black robes and remain solely in his period clothing. 

Not that he minded too much. 

Together in their lich forms, Barry, Lup, and Kravitz all stepped through the portal and into the blowing heat of the desert. And it was awkward, stepping into a sandstorm of sorts. The sand ricocheted off Kravitz’s eye sockets and inside his skull. With a snap of his fingers, he pulled himself out of his lich form, and he was followed closely behind by Lup and Barry. 

They would take their human forms until they needed the intimidation. Letting your skin melt off your skeleton was a very good way to make people pee their pants. And also give up any sort of resistance. And also surrendering immediately. It was convenient. 

  


*~*

Taako, on the other hand, was not going for intimidating at all. He was going for luxury and relaxation, wearing as little clothing as possible in order to sunbathe and still be the most stylish elf there was in the immediate area. 

Which wasn’t that difficult. 

Without Kravitz, Taako did not have that much competition in the looks game let's be honest. He dressed in booty shorts, emphasis on the booty, with a fantasy QR code that, when scanned, took you to Fantasy Cosco's online shop. They had been a custom order. 

And a crop top of fucking course. Taako didn't even kid himself. If he was sunbathing, that definitely meant crop tops. 

He was skin- and theoretical pussy-out. Plus, with Kravitz out on missions and not around, Taako didn’t have to worry about his babe swooning over the marks that appeared on his skin. And they could be worrisome at some times. Right now, there was a huge mark across his back, as Kravitz had lovingly pointed out this morning. But what Kravitz hadn't seen were the pink bruising across his ribs and the strips up and down his legs. 

Taako had a sneaking suspicion that his mock soulmate wasn't just a klutz, but Kravitz certainly didn't need to worry about that. 

Taako was more concerned with finding a good sunning spot where he could nap the entire day without a worry of being disturbed. Nothing worse than being disturbed especially on his day off. 

Taako planned on pitching his umbrella in the sunniest place, casting a spell to make sure he didn’t burn, and then napping until he achieved the desired shade that he was looking for. It didn’t get much more complicated than that and Taako was looking forward to the quiet time alone. The sun did a good job of soothing the aches in his bones caused by the unexplainable marks too. When alcohol didn’t work, of course. 

He had just found the best spot out of everything else, when notes of music carried on a stray breeze made him twitch his ears. 

Oh? A party? Then that was definitely something more interesting that sunbathing. 

With a flick of his wrist, Taako magicked himself a slightly better outfit, adding a see through sun skirt over his shorts and deeming that enough. He minor illusioned himself clean skin, just so that he wouldn't terrify anyone, and propped his umbrella on his shoulder as he started walking. 

It wasn’t hard to find the party, but calling it a party would be generous. Calling it _anything _would be generous. 

From what Taako could see, the music was coming from a large wooden box, some sort of wind-up musical instrument that played automatically. Instead of being surrounded by people dancing and drinking their hearts out, it was a single old man, lounging in the shadow of a stature of a tall lady with braided hair. He held a pipe at least and was leisurely smoking something that smelled distinctly familiar to Taako. 

So no party.

The steps that the man was laying on stretched up into a spiraling temple with sparkling stained glass. Nothing on the outside denoted which deity it had been built for which was definitely the most odd thing. Usually religions were very eager to tell you what and who they believed in. The stained glass depicted every color of the rainbow cascading down in beautiful waterfalls but still no indication of what the temple was for. 

Still, Taako had nothing better to do so he shrugged and sauntered towards the building, a confident swagger to his steps that he always tried to maintain. 

He wasn't privy to most of the different gods and goddesses that existed but people of the cloth usually knew how to get down and party. At least, in his experience. No one held onto their clergy collar too tightly. The church had alcohol and too many rules and was usually made up of people who wanted to break all of those rules. 

"Hail!" the old man called out when he realized that Taako was walking closer and not walking away. "What brings you to the temple of Istus?"

So that was who the temple was dedicated to. One question down, only a million more to go. 

"Hail and well met," Taako called in return. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know what's up with—you said Istus, right?" 

"Ah, our goddess of Fate, Destiny, Divination, and the Future," the old man said and held up a glass bottle the size of his own head. "And she has some damn good wine too! Name's Merle. What brings you here?" 

"Taako, and I don't really know," Taako admitted with a shrug. "Bored, I guess. Mind if I go inside?" 

Merle laughed and took a huge swallow of wine. "I don't care. I don't even work here!" 

Taako snagged the pipe that had been set aside in favor of the alcohol and brought it to his mouth, taking a quick puff. He gave Merle a titillating wave goodbye and then swept up the stairs of the temple, into the shade of the statue and then the shadows of the inside. 

It was empty, surprisingly. 

No priests stood at the front of the chamber. No nuns bustled about cleaning the space. No worshippers were prostrated in prayer. 

Taako was the only one there, staring up at the towering stained glass mural of Istus, who stared back at him with just as much judgement. Taako just puffed more on the pipe until a cloud of smoke ringed his head. 

"What are you looking at, rainbow lady?" he said finally, just to break the silence.

A sharp bite of pain jolted through his side, like a stitch after hard sprinting but a million times worse. Taako couldn't help but gasp and double over, and he lost his grip on his umbrella. It clattered to the stone floor of the church, and Taako staggered off balance. 

“Damn soulmate,” he muttered, angry that the person he was connected to was so careless and stupid. He groaned and forced himself to stand upright, using a pew to brace himself as he managed to find his feet. 

His vision was swimming a bit, and that meant that the stained glass in front of him was overly bright and giving him a headache. Taako squinted his eyes against the brightness and brought a hand up to shield his face. The pain in his side was crawling up towards his heart. And that was a huge red flag in and of itself. Another flash of pain drove Taako completely to his knees as he lost all ability to hold himself up. His glamour spell flickered and then faded, leaving him unmasked.

It must’ve been the pain because the stained glass image of Istus moved and smiled down at him, pity in her eyes. Pity that Taako didn’t want.

“If my soulmate could stop picking fights for one minute,” Taako muttered. “That’d be _great_.” 

Taako was scared that Merle would rush in and see him in such a pathetic state, so he gritted his teeth to keep the noise down and figured he’d just lay there until the pain passed. 

He closed his eyes for a bit of relief from the colors and passed out. 

Or maybe he didn’t pass out. 

The pain faded though, clearing his head and allowing him to once again open his eyes and push himself halfway to his feet.

His surroundings suddenly changed, and Taako was no longer kneeling on the floor of the church. Instead, he found himself in a wide open field, waist-high grass swaying around him. Patches of flowers were speckled here and there, leading a path that drew his gaze up and up a hill until he spotted a woman, much larger than he was, reclining on the top of a small knoll a dozen or so feet away. 

Her skin was dark and her stark white hair was twisted into flowing dreadlocks. She wore a simple white robe that pooled around her legs and flowed out into the grass around her. With her eyes closed, she looked almost monochrome, somehow drained of her color. In her hands, though, she held pitch black knitting needles and was working on a tapestry containing every color of the rainbow. Everything that she lacked, the cloth contained, and her fingers skillfully twisted and looped the yarn as she worked on making the piece larger and longer. 

Taako vaguely recognized her and he didn’t even know from where until he realized that the woman was the same one that he had seen in the stained glass back at the church. 

“Istus?” he muttered. 

Where had she come from? How had she come from? _Why _had she come from? 

The woman opened her eyes to look down at him, smiling even though her hands didn’t stop even a bit. She didn’t move, but somehow the hill looked a bit bigger than before, enough room beside her if Taako wanted to recline next to her. 

“Come, child,” she said. “You must be tired.” 

“I’m not your child,” Taako said on instinct, since he didn’t follow much of any religion and chose to make himself a priority more than anything. 

Istus just laughed softly. “I know that. But we all like to pretend sometimes, don’t we?” She looked pointedly at Taako’s shoulders, and as if on cue, the mark on his back throbbed. 

Taako knew exactly what she was talking about but he certainly didn’t want to talk about it. 

“My soulmate doesn’t need me,” he said, crossing his arms and remaining where he was. “And I don’t need them. I have Kravitz, your majesty.” He didn’t really know how to address deities respectfully. “I love him with all my heart and I don’t really need anything else.” 

“I understand that,” Istus said. “A binding love that strong. But you know that marks do not only correspond with love, don’t you?” 

Taako frowned because he didn’t understand. He took a couple steps in her direction and then just gave in and walked all the way to her side. He settled himself in the grass, smoothing out the wrinkled in his skirt and making sure that dirt hadn’t and wouldn’t get on him during the conversation. 

“I do know,” he lied. “But just in case, tell me anyways.” 

Istus smiled and closed her eyes. She knitted in silence a bit, adding an inch or so before she finally spoke. 

“Do you see my tapestry?” she asked. 

Taako did see it. He nodded. 

The cloth wound down the opposite side of the hill, meandering back and forth and piling on itself. It stretched out across the meadow as far as the eye could see. Similarly, the strands of yarn that Istus was using stretched as well. Everything was coiled and flopped and doubled over on everything else, and Taako was surprised it somehow didn’t get tangled. 

“Yarns,” Istus said. “Threads. They all connect and they all combine. Some with only a few and some with hundreds. It is not love that causes them to cross, though I knit them all with love and care. They connect with a pattern that is hard to track or make sense of. You see, we all touch different lives in different ways.” 

“I still don’t get it,” Taako said. “What does this have to do with soulmates?” 

“Don’t you see?” Istus said. “The marks are not love. Not romantic. Not always. Sometimes they are because people who need each other may also fall in love, but your world’s idea of soulmates is so . . . _one sided_, if I may be that crude.” 

Taako thought of Barold and Lup and how their marks matched and he thought about himself and Kravitz and how their marks didn’t match. 

“It is the nature of mortals to connect,” Istus continued. “To connect in friendship. To connect in love. To connect in sadness and in celebration. In festival and in family, chosen or blood. Mortals are very much like threads of a tapestry and as they wind together, they form beautiful pictures of intricate design.” 

“Sooooo,” Taako said. “What you’re saying is . . . .” 

“That soulmates are not love,” Istus said. “They are connections. They bind mortals together in more than one way. To view them as simply romantic is to tear down the meaning of the marks.” 

For the first time since Taako had sat down, Istus paused in her knitting to stare down at him. The pity from before was no longer there, instead replaced with a fondness and humor. She smiled at him and raised a single hand to hover it over his back. Her eyes took on a sort of sadness.

“The one you are connected to is in pain,” she said. “They call out to you with their marks, hoping that you will understand their pain and send them aid.” 

“But how?” Taako asked. He would have jerked away from her touch if she had touched him. Still, a hand that was the same size as him floating so close was still a bit threatening and he drew himself away. “And why? Why me? I found love, why can’t this person find what they need in someone else?” 

Istus pulled away from him, and for a single moment, her face twisted darkly. It showed an anger that Taako wouldn’t have thought that the peaceful goddess was capable of. And then a moment later it was gone, and she was sighing in defeat, restarting her knitting. 

“Because it is not love that they need,” she said. “They have found love in another, just as you have. They need something else, something more. Open your mind, child, and maybe you will be able to see.” 

Taako was going to retort that his mind was plenty open but then the woman was fading as was the meadow around him. His vision fuzzed over and when his gaze finally cleared, he was back in the church, kneeling in front of the stained glass as if he were praying. 

He jerked upright, scrambling to his feet and staring up at the window, trying to find evidence for what had just happened to him. The picture was still though, and the rest of the church was silent. Taako could have written off the experience as an overly vivid daydream, but it had been so _real_. His pain was gone and this conversation he had just had with a goddess was still playing in his mind. 

A sharp caw broke through the silence as a raven swooping down from the rafters. It dove down at Taako, making him duck on instinct and raise his arms to cover his head. The raven cawed again, flying over him and towards the back of the church. 

“Kravitz?” Taako called. “Kravitz, is that you?” 

He grabbed his umbrella off the ground next to him and scrambling after the bird, running back down the center aisle as the bird circled the front doors. He barely got close enough when the bird called again and dove through the lattice work in some window halfway up the wall. 

Taako was breathless somehow, frantic to catch the bird as something familiar to cling too. He burst out of the church, stumbling down the front steps and past Merle, who was still lounging where he had been before. Taako ignored him. 

The raven was circled overhead now, cawing at him as if trying to keep his attention. It was working. It hovered for a moment, as if making sure that Taako was watching before swooping down to perch on the shoulder of the statue of Istus. It cawed one last time, staring down at him with critical rainbow eyes. 

So not Kravitz. 

Taako was almost disappointed, out of breath and frazzled as he stood on the stairs of the temple. He stared up at the raven, expecting something else. Something more.

“Huh,” Merle said from behind him. “That’s strange. Not often you see a raven in the desert. And look at that! It’s roosted right on the Fair Lady’s shoulder.” 

Taako narrowed his eyes at the Raven and magicked himself a jacket to pull around his shoulders to hide his back from overly curious eyes. He didn’t like the raven and the way it stared at him and his whole afternoon was ruined as far as he was concerned. He was just going to go home, wrap himself in the biggest thickest blankets he owned, and try to shut out the world. 

As he turned towards home, one last twinge of pain tweaked his side. For a moment, Taako tried to think of it how Istus had told him too: like someone crying out for help instead of a lover asking for attention. 

It felt accurate, or at least, more appropriate. 

But Taako wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to think of it like that.


	3. Spooky Movement 3

“I should have known better than to leave you alone!” Kravitz said, running his hands carefully along Taako’s ribs where a grape-shot of new marks had appeared. “Especially after the instance at breakfast.” 

“It only hurt a little,” Taako insisted. “Nothing at all really.” 

“Where were you?” Kravitz immediately demanded. “Around people? Did anyone see?” 

“Why? Would you be embarrassed?” Taako said. 

He pulled away from Kravitz’s worried hands and turned to the pot that he had just put on the stove top. He was just warming up soup for dinner, but it still needed to be watched to make sure nothing burned. Kravitz kept grabbing him from behind and his hands were cold and distracting. 

“Easy, champ,” he said when Kravitz wandered a bit lower than before. “I still need to make sure this soup warms up good. We can do _that _later tonight.” 

Taako could almost hear the eye roll that Kravitz did but he chose to ignore it. At least the reaper backed off a bit, taking his freezing hands off of Taako. He returned to his spot at the table even though it was obvious that he wanted to fret more. He wrapped his hands around his cup of tea to warm them up. Taako worked in silence for a moment. 

“Have you ever heard of the goddess Istus?” Taako finally asked. 

“Why?” Kravitz asked. “Does she have anything to do with these fits?”   
  
Taako shook his head, testing a spoonful of broth and deeming it warm enough. He ladled out two bowls of soup and carried them to the table. He set one in front of his place and slid the other across to Kravitz. He grabbed silverware as well and finally sat down. 

“I found a temple dedicated to her,” Taako said. He took a bite. “That’s where . . . . that’s where the fit happened.” 

Kravitz raised an eyebrow but kept his comments to himself, at least for now. He ate in silence, waiting for Taako to continue when he was ready to. It took a couple moments. Taako was staring down at it soup, suddenly lost in thought. Kravitz waited. 

“She appeared in a vision,” Taako finally said and laughed. “I mean, who does that? What kind of god just strikes any old person with a vision? Nearly made me pee my pants.” 

It was a half-ditch attempt at humor to cover up his real feelings. Taako knew it and Kravitz knew it too, but neither of them commented on it. Taako idly stirred his bowl, watching the vegetables and chunks of chicken move out of the way. He took another bite. 

“Anyway,” he said. “She was really adamant about the whole soulmates thing. Made a big fuss about it. I don’t know why she was so concerned about it.” 

“Hm,” Kravitz said, acting disinterested. It was the one way he knew for sure to get Taako riled up. “And what did she say?” 

“She said soulmates weren’t romantic,” Taako said. He laughed. “Like, what’s that all about? Crazy, right? It was so ridiculous. Everyone knows that the marks connect you to the one who’s supposed to be the love of your life. Or whatever shit. I don’t know anymore.” 

The room fell silent after that, as they both sunk into their thoughts again. Kravitz didn’t have a response to what was just said. Taako was still staring down at his soup, not noticing the way his boyfriend was looking anywhere but him. It would have been awkward if they had looked at each other, but they hadn’t and they weren’t. 

“Work was crazy,” Kravitz said just to fill the silence. “Barold and Lup wanted to . . . ‘go clubbing’ sometime. Those were Lup’s words.” It was something that could possibly take Taako’s mind off all of this. 

Taako just sighed and set his spoon aside, scooping up his bowl of soup and downing it all in three big swallows. “I don’t feel like it tonight,” he said, pushing his bowl away and standing. “I think I’m gonna soak in the tub and then go to bed.” 

Kravitz wanted to run after him as Taako turned and walked out of the kitchen, but Taako so obviously needed time to himself, time to think. Kravitz didn’t want to crowd him. He would give Taako a moment to breathe and collect himself. The elf was more solitary by nature after he and Lup had spent most of their time alone for a majority of their lives. Kravitz would give him his space and then maybe, tonight in bed, they could talk about it. 

Taako, in the meantime, filled the tub in an instant with a snap of his fingers, not even bothering to test the temperature as he stripped and climbed it. He had gotten it perfectly right. He scented the water with lavender bath salts and then settled back into the foam, closing his eyes to let himself think in the dark. 

As soon as he closed his eyes though, Istus was there, shaking her head disapprovingly. She was surrounded with thousands of threads of yarn, all stretching out to disappear into the inky blackness. And Taako stood before her, as small as a frog compared to her towering height. 

She didn't say anything, only gave him a look of disdain and pity mixed together. 

"Stop it!" Taako yelled at her. He clutched his ribs which had started to throb again. “You don’t get it because you’re a god and not mortal! This isn’t as one-sided as you think!” 

Istus just continued knitting in silence, pulling threads together and weaving them around her needles before starting the stitches all over again. She paused to wipe a single tear out of the corner of her eye but didn’t say anything.

“It’s my life!” Taako said, having to speak through gritted teeth as the pain spiked. “Not yours, so bug off!” 

Istus nodded and then pulled all her threads together, spilling a cocoon around herself until she completely disappeared from view. And so Taako was left with nothing in the dark stretching around him and a towering pillar of every color imaginable. 

And then it felt like someone punched him in the face, and Taako was reeling back. He lost track of where he was as the room spun out and the next thing Taako knew, he was waking up in the tub, in Kravitz’s arms, and the love of his life was yelling something at him that he couldn’t hear. 

*~* 

Taako woke up in a bed that wasn’t his bed. It was stark white first of all, and not at all comfortable to be laying in. The thread count must be horrendous. Taako groaned as his entire body ached and throbbed when he tried to move though so he stayed where he was. 

“Babe?” 

Taako cracked his eyes open and finally noticed Kravitz sitting next to his horrible, uncomfortable bed. He smiled even though his entire face hurt and managed to move his hand a couple inches so that he could place it on top of Kravitz’s hand. 

Kravitz smiled at the gesture. 

“I’m so glad you’re awake,” he said softly. “I thought I had lost you.” 

“How long was I out?” Taako asked. So the bed wasn’t _that _uncomfortable, and it was nice not having to move. 

“Two days,” Kravitz said. His face wrinkled with concern. “I found you in the tub, you know. These fits—they’ve gotten worse. You’re not okay.” 

Taako was going to argue but he was too tired too, and everything hurt. He didn’t have the energy to argue and really, Kravitz was right. Things were getting out of hand, and Taako was maybe ready to admit that. 

“Yeah,” he said. “The kids aren’t alright.” 

Kravitz actually laughed, looking away and wiping at his eyes. Taako didn’t comment on the tears. “You should see yourself right now,” Kravitz said. He gestured to his face. “You look insane.” 

“Good insane or bad insane?” Taako asked. He almost wished he could glamour himself up because he probably had marks all over his body and probably looked very ugly right now. He didn’t have the energy to do so or even care. 

Kravitz grimaced. “I’m gonna be honest with you,” he said. “It’s kinda bad insane.” 

Taako sighed and closed his eyes again, leaning back against his pillows. “I’ve been talking with Istus,” he admitted. “Well, she’s been talking with me. I never wanted to talk to her but she was very insistent on it. It was annoying.” 

Kravitz gave his hand a squeeze. “You just called a god annoying.” 

Taako smiled. “Hell yeah I did.” 

Kravitz just sighed. 

“Look,” Taako said. “I’m not proud of it when I look back on it. She was actually very nice and I kind of brushed that all off.” He looked over at Kravitz. “Don’t tell her that I regret any of it, okay. I have a reputation.” 

“I won’t,” Kravitz said with a smile. 

“She said something about the marks,” Taako admitted. “That . . . they weren’t . . . romantic. And I just didn’t want to admit it.” Damn, even telling Kravitz made Taako’s stomach twist. Or maybe that was the fact that it felt like someone was stabbing a knife into his gut. 

“Why not?” Kravitz said. “If the marks aren’t romantic, then you and I make sense. Everyone who never finds their soulmate makes sense. Isn’t that a good thing? Isn’t that what you want?” 

Taako sighed and shook his head. “No, it’s not good. Istus said the marks were connections and she heavily implied that I have to _help_ by soulmate. I don’t want that responsibility! You know me, I _never _want any responsibilities!” 

Kravitz sighed. “Yeah, I know.” 

“And if I do have that responsibility, then I have to do something about it,” Taako went on. “And if the marks are romantic, then I can be part of all the badass people defying fate for love and—let’s be real—that’s one of the coolest things anyone can do in their lifetime!” 

Kravitz actually laughed because Taako was one of the few people that could be laying prone in a hospital bed with marks discoloring nearly his entire body and still be worried about details like that. He gave Taako’s hand a squeeze of support because even if he didn’t ask for it, it was what he desperately wanted. Especially when everything was confusing and not making sense. 

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’ll be here for you, no matter what the marks mean.” He paused. “But if your soulmate is in pain. . . .” 

“See?!” Taako exclaimed. “Suddenly their problem is my problem? I don’t want that!” 

He had to pause and double over on himself with a grunt as his gut twisted again. He didn’t have to, but he peered under the blanket to watch a mark that looked eerily similar to a fist appear on his skin. He pulled the blanket down again before Kravitz could look. 

Kravitz didn’t have to, apparently, because he looked concerned and worried all over again. “Taako,” he started. 

“Fine!” Taako exclaimed. “If I have to help my stupid soulmate then I’ll help them! But how? I don’t even know how to find them! It’s a pointless journey if we don’t even know where we’re going. Oops! Guess we can’t do anything. Now you have to take me home so I can get drunk and forget about all of this.” 

Kravitz sighed and was about to explain to Taako how he didn’t even try to help so that it didn’t really count but he was interrupted. 

“Raven’s Roost.” 

Both he and Taako turned suddenly, spotting the short dwarf that was standing in doorway of Taako’s room. He was wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt but had a doctor’s robe pulled on over the top. He was holding a clipboard but really didn’t look like the professional type. 

“Excuse me, who are you?” Kravitz asked the same time that Taako shot straight up in bed and exclaimed “Merle?!” 

“Wait, how do you know him?” Kravitz said, looking between the two of them. 

“He was at Istus’s temple!” Taako said, pointing an accusatory finger at Merle. “And I bet this is all his fault! Explain yourself, dwarf!” 

“First of all, calling me ‘dwarf’ is a little racist, don’t you think?” Merle said. “And I have nothing to do this. I just happen to be a doctor who also hangs out around Istus’s temple.” He shrugged. “She’s got the best wine, what can I say?” 

Now it was Kravitz who looked confused. “You’re a doctor? You said there was no medical help you could give Taako besides letting him sleep!” 

Merle shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot and laughed. “Hey, I never said I was a _good _doctor.” 

“That’s it! Out of my room!” Taako said. He would have jumped out of his bed if the muscles in his legs didn’t feel like they were on fire. 

“Wait, wait!” Merle said. “I was listening to you guys talk about soulmates, and . . . . I want to help.” 

Taako rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. “How could you help us? Kravitz, make him leave please. I want to sleep.” 

“Look!” Merle said, pulling down the collar of his shirt and holding his other arm forward. “I’ve never had a mark before in my life! This whole soulmates thing is just as confusing for me as it is for you. And I want to help.” 

Kravitz now studied the unmarked skin with interest. “We should hear him out, Taako,” he said. “He might be able to help.” 

“Exactly!” Merle said. “And I know where you two should start looking. At Raven’s Roost.” 

Taako narrowed his eyes. “Why?” 

“Because,” Merle explained. “When you ran out of the temple, chasing that raven. It landed on Istus and was so obviously a message. She was trying to tell you to go to Raven’s Roost. It’s a seaside city only a couple days’ travel from here.” 

Kravitz perked up hopefully and looked pleadingly to Taako. “Come on, babe. I think we should look into it. Huh? Don’t you want to try to help someone?” 

Taako sighed. “I _told _you, I don’t _want _this responsibility.” He grunted but managed to not flinch at the strike of pain across his face. “But, if it stops my soulmate from being the clumsiest idiot of the planet, then I’ll come. I can’t live with marks over my body the rest of my life. It’s weird.” 

“And I’m coming too!” Merle said. 

Taako gave him a death glare. 

“Because I want to help!” Merle quickly said. “And besides, you need a doctor. You’re in too much pain to do this alone.” 

“I have Kravitz,” Taako started, but the love of his life gave him a withering look, and Taako sighed and gritted his teeth. “But, I _guess _you can come along. _Only _if you promise to help and _only _if you promise not to talk about Istus the entire time.” 

“Done and done,” Merle said happily. He raised a hand and pointed it at Taako and Kravitz. “I cast Zone of Truth.” 

Taako groaned. “This really is the _worst _idea in the history of the world.”


	4. Spooky Movement 4

It took Taako a full day to pack for the trip and that was only because Kravitz was nervously hovering around him the whole time. That, and the fact that every single piece of his wardrobe had to be chosen carefully and deliberately and Taako didn’t want to make any mistakes. It was a hassle but he wanted to look his best at given moment. Kravitz was ready long before him but was sweet enough to wait without complaining. 

He ended up with five different bags that would be impossible to carry the entire way. Taako spent the entire night repacking and deciding what was stuff he _really _needed and what was stuff that he _didn’t _need. In the end though, he was successful, in that he had a single bag with his most fashionable clothes that could be carried easily and wasn’t too heavy. 

It was a Bag of Holding of course. 

He and Kravitz were at the stairs of Istus’s temple bright and early the day they were scheduled to leave. This was the agreed upon place where they were supposed to meet Merle before setting out, but Taako couldn’t help but cringe under the cold stare of Istus’s statue. 

He pulled his fur lined jacket tighter around his shoulders and opened an umbrella over his head just to block himself from view. 

“Where is that old man?” Taako grumbled. “I want to leave and get this over with as soon as possible.” 

“I’m sure he’s coming,” Kravitz said, ever the voice of reason. 

The morning was rocky enough. He had woken up with coloring around his wrists and hips, which Taako had interpreted as sexy-times via his soulmate. Taako had tried to initiate the same but had ended up crumpled in a ball at the end of their bed clutching his right leg. It had been a sobering mood killer. 

“This is my goddamn life,” Taako continued, kicking a stray pebble down the steps. “I want to go back to normal. And Merle needs to hurry his ass up before we just leave without him.” 

“We won’t leave without him,” Kravitz said. 

“Because I’m right here!” Merle exclaimed, appearing rather suddenly at the foot of the stairs. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, but a different one, khaki shorts with a multitude of pockets, and a visor that read ‘Plants!’ in obvious, sparkly letters. He looked very proud of himself. 

“See, there you go,” Kravitz said. “Merle. We can leave now.” He offered a hand to Taako and it only took a moment before the elf grabbed it tightly. 

“Yes. Please,” Taako said, pulling a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket and snapping it open. He slid them on over his eyes and put his nose in the air. In a moment, his aloof attitude was back and he was definitely more Taako again. 

“We’ve got a ways to walk,” Merle said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and already sauntering off in the right direction. “Better to start now than later.”

“Better to start never at all,” Taako mumbled under his breath, mostly to Kravitz. 

They traveled in silence mostly. Taako complained every once in a while, Kravitz provided him an arm to cling to when the road got rocky and unmanageable. Merle either walked several lengths in front of them or several lengths behind them, never in the middle. Taako was fine with it because it meant that there wasn’t much conversation otherwise. 

Too bad Kravitz was too polite to let such a good thing last. 

“Merle,” he said when the dwarf wasn’t too far in front of them. “Is it true you’ve never had the marks of a soulmate?” 

Merle shrugged, intently focused on the bunch of flowers that he had collected over the course of a couple hours. 

“Never,” he said. “Everyone I’ve ever known has had marks but never me. I usually just hang out at different temples anyway. No one usually bothers a holy man, and I kinda like sticking to myself for the most part.” 

“So you are a holy man,” Kravitz said, nudging Taako to cut off his snide remark about men being holy. “You worship Istus? Or do you have a different patron?” 

Kravitz didn’t often talk about the Raven Queen since she wasn’t always accepted in every circle. His work was also very much a personal matter but if Merle was a holy man perhaps he was more open to things than the normal commoner. 

“I’m here and there,” Merle said with a shrug. “Whatever catches my eye. Nobody asked too many questions and I kinda like knowing all the deities, you know?” 

“If you don’t have a soulmate, does that mean no one loves you?” Taako said, very loudly and very rudely. 

Kravitz elbowed him but wasn’t fast enough to stop the question. Merle actually froze to his spot, looking back at him in surprise. Kravitz and Taako stopped too, but they were still an awkward distance apart which made the whole conversation feel like an accusation. Which is frankly was. 

“I’m so sorry,” Kravitz said. “He’s been having a rough time, and—” 

“No, no!” Merle said, laughing in what seemed to be very genuine. “You’re fine.” He held up his bundle of flowers which fell open to reveal a sort of crown that he placed on his head. “I’ve heard all the questions before. It’s no big deal.” 

“That wasn’t very nice,” Kravitz muttered under his breath. 

“Yeah, and I haven’t been having a nice day,” Taako said. “You still haven’t answered the question, holy man. Does anyone love you?” 

Merle didn’t say anything for a long moment before turning and continuing to walk along the trail. Kravitz and Taako followed him, closing the distance so that conversation wasn’t as awkward. The weather, at least, was good walking weather with a couple clouds in the sky that occasionally blocked the sun and kept the temperature down. 

“I _do _love people,” Merle finally said. “And they love me back of course. It’s not like I have _zero _friends.” 

Kravitz elbowed Taako quickly enough to stop any comments on that statement. 

“Life is just strange, you know,” Merle said. “Just because I don’t have any marks doesn’t mean I’m a weirdo. Tons of people fall in love with someone who isn’t their soulmate.” He looked back at Kravitz and Taako. “Like you two.” 

“Of course,” Kravitz said. “It’s more common.” 

“Hardly anyone goes in search of their soulmate,” Taako said. “Because it’s _crazy_.” 

“If you happen to meet, then you happen to meet,” Merle said, nodding in agreement. “But, the people who do find their soulmates do take it as a point of pride.” 

Taako found himself nodding at that. Not that Lup and Barold were mean about it, but knowing that they were connected across space and time while he and Kravitz weren’t was a bit hard to deal with constantly. Lup and Barold were in _love _and they knew it and they weren’t about to hide it. 

Taako glanced down at his arm where a darker mark of a handprint had appeared sometime last night. Quickly, he let his sleeve fall to cover it so he didn’t have to think about it. 

“And when you don’t have any marks,” Merle went on. “You’re seen as a freak.” 

Taako wrinkled his nose. Kravitz coughed awkwardly. 

Merle shrugged. “I’m used to it. Thick skin, you know. If I’m a holy man, I have the excuse of not having the time for relationships and people stop asking questions.” 

“What do you know about Istus?” Taako asked, surprising both himself and Kravitz. 

Merle was more than happy for the topic change. “She’s the goddess of fate,” he said. “Everyone knows that. Divinations, Destinies, and the Future of course. Symbol of the rainbow, and a loving welcome to anyone who enters her temple. She’s not one to turn away outsiders.” 

“Yeah, but what’s her _deal_?” Taako asked. “Her whole obsession with the marks. You’ve noticed that, right?” 

“I mean, a lot of people attribute the creation of the marks to Istus,” Merle said. “Although she doesn’t mention soulmates in any of her teachings. Why? She tell you something personally?” 

Taako shrugged and didn’t say anything for a moment. Kravitz wasn’t about to pressure him into talking, and Merle seemed to know from experience how to give people space and boundaries. They walked in silence for another few minutes. 

“She did appear to me,” Taako finally admitted. “Is that common?” He rolled his eyes. “Wanted to lecture me about the marks like a _loser_.” 

“I don’t think you should call the goddess of Fate a loser, darling,” Kravitz said. “She might choose to cut your future short.” 

“Goddess, shmoddess,” Taako said. “She’s the one who thought I needed destiny homework. I didn’t want any of this.” 

“It’s pretty common for her to appear to people,” Merle said, interrupting the argument but acting so oblivious that it probably wasn’t on purpose. “She’s open with her followers and anyone who seeks sanctuary in her temple. If she spoke to you, I wouldn’t be surprised.” 

“She _did _speak to me,” Taako said. He pulled off his sunglasses and tucked them into a pocket. “I just didn’t like it.” 

“What did she say?” Merle asked excitedly. 

“That the marks were bullshit,” Taako said bluntly. “Which is what I really don’t get! Why would they be meaningless? I thought they were a whole thing between people. True love.” He glanced guiltily at Kravitz. “Or supposedly true love.” He huffed. “I don’t know! I’m so confused!” 

Merle raised an eyebrow and looked like he didn’t believe him. “She said they were worthless?” 

Taako shook his head. “No, no, not that _specifically_,” he said. “She said the marks weren’t about love. Which, really, it’s basically the same thing. Isn’t love the whole point of life? Existence is pretty shitty otherwise.” 

“Istus is all about connections,” Merle said. “And destiny via connections. She wouldn’t say that the marks aren’t love. She would say that they are a connection.” 

Taako wrinkled his nose. “If you knew all that, why did you even ask me? The marks are a connection of _love_ and nothing else. Why else would you need to know what goes on your _soulmate’s_ skin? It just makes sense.” 

“Would you love anyone else besides Kravitz?” Merle asked. 

Taako blinked, taken aback by the sudden question, and at first, he didn’t know how to respond. It was ridiculous at first, for this stupid little dwarf to ask him such a thing. Taako was angry and then he was scared of the answer he was supposed to give and then he was angry that he was scared. He frowned at Merle, clutching to Kravitz’s arm. 

“I love Kravitz,” he declared. “Why would I not? We’re dating. We _live together_.” 

“I know, I know, I get it,” Merle said. “But you didn’t answer the question. Would you love anyone else besides Kravitz?” 

Taako chewed his lip, once again scared of himself and scared of the question he still had to answer. He pulled Kravitz’s hand into his own and laced their fingers together. It was an attempt to soothe the blow of what he was going to say. 

“Not while I’m with him,” he admitted, not as loud-and-proud as before. “Of course not while I’m with him. He’s my entire world and I love him.” He glanced nervously at Kravitz, trying to gauge the emotions on his face. “But before Kravitz, I loved, and probably after Kravitz, I hope I will love again.” 

“So you could love the person you are connected to,” Merle said, as if his whole argument had been won. “You just don’t know that.” 

Taako frowned because in his gut he _did _know. He knew very well. There was something inside of him that he trusted that told him that he wouldn’t love the other person he was connected to. He couldn’t. He didn’t want to. Even if they met and even if they had stuff in common, Taako didn’t want anything to do with this person and besides ranting to them about how they were the clumsiest piece of shit to exist ever, Taako didn’t want to get to know this person at all. 

“I do know,” he said. “I know that I won’t love them. And it’s stupid that Istus expects me to.” 

“It’s hard to say what she expects and what she doesn’t expect,” Kravitz said quietly, more to himself. He was thinking of the Raven Queen, and the confusing ways of deities perplexed everyone. It was always hard to read someone who had existed for millennia. 

“Look, I didn’t come on this trip to be lectured,” Taako said, pulling his walls back up faster than Kravitz had ever seen. “I came on this trip so I could get my soulmate to stop being an ass and to stop hurting me.” 

“Suit yourself,” Merle said. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked a bit faster somehow, putting distance between them until they had returned to their old walking arrangement with him a good ways in front of them. 

“I don’t like thinking about this,” Taako grumbled to Kravitz. “It’s just . . . so exhausting. I don’t want to think.” 

“I understand,” Kravitz said. The constant fits and bouts of pain could hardly be helping Taako and were, without a doubt, draining him of energy at any given moment. It was a surprise that Taako got the few hours of sleep he did every night. And even then, who’s to say it was peaceful sleep? 

“I just never wanted this,” Taako mumbled. “It’s just . . . too much.” 

“I’m here for you,” Kravitz vowed. “No matter what we find when we get where we’re going.” 

“And I promise I love you,” Taako said, finally looking up to meet Kravitz’s concerned gaze. “I do. These marks don’t mean anything.” 

Kravitz nodded and bent down to clumsily press a kiss against Taako’s forehead. Since they were walking, the action was a bit awkward, but they managed it. 

“They mean something,” Kravitz said. “But they don’t mean what we think they do.” 

“I would die a million deaths for you,” Taako said. 

“I’m the right hand man to the goddess of death,” Kravitz said with a small laugh. “I could just keep bringing you back. Until she got angry about it, of course.” 

“And that’s how I would die a million times for my lover,” Taako said with a triumphant smile. “See, it’s a promise I can keep. That’s how you know I’m the real deal.” 

Kravitz laughed again and squeezed Taako’s hand a bit tighter, to make sure that they couldn’t fall apart even accidentally. 

“And whatever we find at Raven’s Roost,” Taako said. “I promise, it won’t change anything. Whatever the marks mean, they don’t mean love, at least not for me.” 

“We’ll figure it out,” Kravitz said. “But we’ll figure it out together.” 

“Have either of you thought that daisies are sexy?” Merle asked from his position so far ahead of them. 

Taako rolled his eyes and under his breath muttered, “I’m not surprised he doesn’t have the marks of a soulmate, because who thinks flowers are sexy?” 

“I don’t think you should be judging him too harshly,” Kravitz said. “He is helping us, remember.” 

Taako snorted. “Not willingly.” 

“Just keep the insults to a minimum,” Kravitz said. “So that no one’s feelings get hurt.” 

Taako almost laughed out loud at that, but held himself back for Kravitz’s sake. For the first time in a while, no painful marks throbbed across his body and he was able to just enjoy being in the moment. He leaned up against Kravitz as they walked and silently thanked his soulmate for the moment of silence. 

He still didn’t know how he felt about all of this, but maybe it wasn’t as bad as he thought it was.


	5. Spooky Movement 5

Taako began planning his speech long before they were even scheduled to arrive at Raven’s Roost. It was only appropriate. Taako wanted to make sure he had every word right when he met his soulmate. It was kinda like planning a breakup, but Taako didn’t know who he was breaking up with or why. 

He just had to assume that he was perfect and that the breakup was all the other person’s fault. 

So normal things. 

They stopped to eat twice, laying out a picnic that both Merle and Taako were more than happy to devour. Kravitz didn't really need anything like that but he nibbled bits and pieces here and there. Any talk of soulmates had been dropped after the last conversation. Taako didn't want to talk about the ache in all his limbs and Merle didn't want to say anything about his lack of marks. Kravitz was happy for the silence. 

“There’s a town up ahead,” Merle declared early afternoon of their second day of travel. “We can stop if you want.” 

“You know I never pass up a chance at civilization,” Taako said, already picking up his pace. He even let go of Kravitz’s hand to hurrying forward along the path. He slipped past Merle and then disappeared around a turn in the trail. 

The town couldn’t really be called a town but it also couldn’t be called a city. It was big but not that big. It was perfect thing for Taako because it meant a shopping district and a distraction. He had money in his pocket and going on a spending spree was the best way to get his mind off of things. And Kravitz was always willing to support his hobbies. 

The main road into town took them straight to a marketplace. It was late afternoon which meant that all the boring booths had closed up or were in the process of closing up. New vendors were setting up their wares—fried foods, roasted sweets, and alcohol. A crick elf running a booth that sold flower leis flagged Taako down with an excited wave and draped one of their wares around his neck. 

“A present,” the elf said with a twinkle in his eye. “Hospitality, and to a night that’s young!” 

“Right back at you,” Taako said with a wink, already getting caught up in the festivities. “Hail and well met, friend!” 

“Hospitality!” the crick elf cheered before getting caught up in the next customer. 

“Babe, I think you should be a bit more careful,” Kravitz said, trailing behind him a ways. It was a sort of worried hovering that he tended to do when Taako was getting a bit too crazy. 

“Why?” Taako asked, tossing a couple copper to a vender to get twin drinks. He turned and offered one to Kravitz with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “Come on, let’s leave some marks for our soulmates to find, huh?” 

Kravitz couldn’t help but laugh and accept the drink. “I just . . . never mind. Let’s have fun.” 

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Taako said with a giggle of his own. He threw back his drink and paid for two more. “Woohoo! Let’s have some _fun_!” 

“Hell yeah!” someone in the crowd yelled back. 

It didn’t take long for the square and then the entire market place to fill up with people. They lost track of Merle at some point but that wasn’t a big deal. That wasn’t the point of the stopping. Taako downed enough drinks to ignore the throb of his stomach. If he checked, there would be a mark the size of fist. But as long as he didn’t look, he didn’t have to think about it. 

He kissed Kravitz under the strings of lanterns with apple liqueur on his tongue and the reaper kissed him back with just as much passion. They pressed their foreheads together, and Taako was giggling, unable to stop himself. 

“Fuck soulmates,” he said. “Why are we even doing this? I’m happy with you. I don’t need anyone else.” 

Kravitz sighed. “I thought we talked about this. We just want to make sure everything is okay. You can’t live with pain the rest of your life.” 

Taako smirked. “Watch me.” 

Taako was suddenly shoved forward as someone slammed into him from behind and he fell into Kravitz’s arms without meaning to. Kravitz managed to catch him though, but Taako whipped around, ready to chew out whoever had shoved him. Some stupid drunk partier who didn’t know enough to keep their hands to themselves. Taako had boundaries, goddamnit, and not anyone was allowed to cross them. 

The blue dragonborn was already blustering an apology, giggling almost as hard as he had been. She had three bottles dangling from her claws and was beaming with a sort of alcoholic happiness that Taako knew all too well. 

“I’m sooooo sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to run into you. My girlfriend totally shoved me.” 

“We’re _not _girlfriends,” an orc woman said, appearing behind the dragonborn and taking one bottle away so they could hold hands. She looked apologetically at Kravitz and Taako. “I’m sorry about Carey. She’s usually better than this, especially with her alcohol.” 

The dragonborn, Carey apparently, looked at the orc woman in surprise and then smiled widely. “Oh! Yeah! I forgot!” She leaned towards Taako, cupping her mouth to whisper conspiracy style to him. “We’re not girlfriends because we’re _married_!” 

She held up a hand, proudly showing off the gold band around one of her claws. She squealed to the sky, jumping into the orc woman’s arms. 

“I’m married!” she yelled at the sky and took a huge swallow of whatever was in the bottles in her hands. “Killian and I are married!” 

The orc woman, Killian, just looked embarrassed by the whole ordeal. “I’m so sorry, I swear,” she said. “It was just supposed to be a small celebration.” 

“Lookit this!” Carey said, flopping in her wife’s arms and the grabbing the collar of her shirt and yanking it down. 

“Carey!” Killian yelled, face going pink as she struggled to juggle the dragonborn into a more manageable position. 

Carey was too busy jabbing a claw at the dark-almost-black spot that had been exposed just below Killian’s collar bone. She was laughing wildly, wagging her tail in excitement as she took another swallow of whatever was in the bottle. 

“I got her, you bastard,” she said, speaking to the mark. “Take that, you motherfucker! She’s my wife!” Carey toasted her bottle to the sky and whooped loudly. 

“You aren’t soulmates?” Taako said without thinking. 

“Hell no!” Carey said at the same time Killian shook her head and said, “Of course not.” 

“Who’s got time to find soulmates?” Killian said, smiling down at Carey’s drunken, lovestruck look. “Carey and I are in love at that’s all that matters.” 

Carey giggled and reached up to cup Killian’s face. “Awwee, you love me?” she said. She looked to Kravitz and Taako. “She loves me! We’re married and she loves me!” She pulled down Killian’s shirt and jabbed a claw at the mark again. “Hear that, asshole? We’re in love! And married! Find someone else!” 

“I am _so sorry,”_ Killian whispered, struggling to keep a hold of Carey and keep her shirt up and maintain her dignity while trying to wrangle her wife.

“We’re not soulmates because that would make us too powerful!” Carey told Taako proudly. “Like, nothing would be able to stop us. Fuck soulmates!” She took another drink and laughed wildly. 

Taako held up his own drink to that with a laugh of his own. “Cheers! I’ll drink to that! Fuck soulmates!” He hooked his arm in Kravitz’s and pulled him closer, not about to lose a chance to show him off. “My _boyfriend _and I totally agree.” 

“See, babe!” Carey said, patting Killian on the cheek while she grinned triumphantly. “I told you we weren’t the only ones. Not everyone can be as lucky at us.” 

Killian looked Taako and Kravitz over and seemed to notice the lack of matching marks. She blinked in surprise and then smiled again. 

“I’d toast to you but my arms are full at the moment,” she said with a shrug of embarrassment. 

“Don’t worry, babe,” Carey said instantly. “I’ll drink for you.” And she downed an entire bottle in one go and threw the bottle down, smashing it on the cobblestones. She whooped loudly and pumped her fist in the sky. 

“I am so sorry,” Killian said, smiling apologetically at the glares from strangers that they were now getting. She then shrugged to Taako and Kravitz. “Sorry to bother you but I should get her inside away from everyone before she starts singing.” 

“Oohhh, have you ever seen a woman as pretty as the sea? And she’s wild and fierce and just as free?” Carey belted out, singing a sea shanty that Taako vaguely recognized. “And you’d sure as salt take her to bed but Poseidon himself would lose his head, cuz he’s a jealous old man but you’re so in love, aye! Killian’s that women for me!” 

“Good luck,” Kravitz said with a smile. “And congratulations.” 

“We love who we love,” Killian said with a fond smile at Carey who was now giggling uncontrollably while curling up to Killian’s chest. “The marks be damned.” 

With that, Killian turned and carried Carey away, pressing kissing against her forehead while she whispered something that neither Taako nor Kravitz could hear. Taako watched a moment before turned to press himself chest-to-chest with Kravitz. 

“See?” he said triumphantly. “We’re not the only ones!” 

Kravitz smiled and held Taako close, swaying them to the music that seemed to come from everywhere in the market square at once. 

“I never said we were,” Kravitz said. “Besides, as far as I know, it’s far more common to not find your soulmate than it is to find them. I thought that was obvious.” 

Taako sighed and leaned his head against Kravitz’s chest, letting the music fill the space around them as the party continued. He watched the people around them—couples with marks on their faces and arms that didn’t match, children who hadn’t had marks appear at all yet, and young teens with long sleeves and scarves for hiding their own marks. 

He really didn’t know why this was such a big deal. Istus had given him too many questions—that was what it was. He was perfectly fine before Istus had talked to him. But Kravitz was probably waiting for an answer still.

“It’s just complicated,” Taako settled on. Because that seemed like the easiest way to describe what was going on inside his mind. 

“I’ll be here for you,” Kravitz said, resting his chin on top of Taako’s head. “No matter what we find or what happens.” 

Taako didn’t want to say anything to ruin the moment so he didn’t. They swayed to the music until they got hungry enough to break apart. They then found a booth that sold a fried food they could both agree on. Taako bought several more alcoholic drinks, finishing whatever Kravitz didn’t and doing his best to live the night up to the best he could. 

The people around him were laughing and toasting him whenever he raised his drink, and Taako didn’t want to disappoint them.

Finally, Kravitz dragged him into an inn, talking softly with the person behind the bar before pulling Taako up a flight of stairs and into a room. Taako was on him immediately, kissing and pulling and struggling with the clasps and buttons of Kravitz’s shirt. 

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s prove our soulmates wrong. I wanna be like Carey and Killian.” 

“Babe, you’re drunk,” Kravitz said, gently pushing him away by the shoulders and guiding him towards the bed. 

Taako kept trying to kiss him. “Don’t care. Just want you.” 

“_I_ care,” Kravitz said, successfully getting Taako down on the bed. “Just sleep for now. I’ll be here in the morning.” 

“Oo! Morning sex, I like it,” Taako said, but as always, Kravitz was right, and he passed out the moment Kravitz pushed him all the way down. The journey had just been a bit too much and Taako needed the comfort of a bed. 

As always, however, he couldn’t find peace, even when he closed his eyes. 

The moment the darkness of sleep took him, Taako was standing on a beach. The sun was setting across the water, making everything a violent sort of orange and red and yellow. The coast stretched forever in front of him and behind him, and sheer rocky cliffs prevented him from walking further inland. The sand around him was speckled with hundreds upon hundreds of starfish. Taako could hardly take a step in any direction without stepping on one.

He would have chalked everything up to a super realistic dream until he realized he wasn’t alone. 

Istus was standing next to him. She didn’t have her knitting this time though. She looked horribly washed out compared to the vibrant sunset, just stark black and white instead of anything else. 

Taako was almost irritated that she was here. That _he _was here. Before he could say anything though, Istus was walking forward, stopping every couple steps to scoop a starfish up and toss it into the waves that licked the shore. Taako was even more confused than ever. 

“What are you doing?” he demanded. He expected another lecture, maybe he wasn’t moving fast enough or maybe he was going in the wrong direction or he just wasn’t doing _something _right, and she was here to tell him that like the snobby god she was. 

“The surf is up,” was all Istus said. “And the tide is out. If the starfish do not make it back into the water, they will die.” She scooped another up and tossed it into the waves. 

Taako looked over his shoulder and then in front of him at the endless stretch of beach and the thousands upon thousands of starfish that speckled the sand. As he watched, Istus bent and grabbed another, tossing it into the water. 

“But there are hundreds,” Taako said. “Thousands! You can’t possibly save enough to make a difference.” 

Istus smiled at him like he was a child and then grabbed another starfish. She held it up. It was big and fat and red, almost as red as the sunset. It coiled in Istus’s hand, curling halfway around her wrist before it seemed to decide that it didn’t want to do that. It waved its arms in the air, lost and pathetic and unable to save itself. 

Istus held it a moment longer before throwing it to the waves.

“I made a difference to that one,” she said. 

Taako rolled his eyes. “Fine, whatever. I get it. Help people in the world. That’s what I'm _doing_, you know. I’m going to help whatever idiot has matching markings. Why don’t you talk to everyone else who doesn’t bother finding their soulmates? I can’t be the only lazy person alive right now.” 

Istus crouched in the sand and leaned forward to help a struggling starfish flip right side up. With a nudge, she pushed it the last few inches it took to get it within the reach of the waves where it was scooped up by the water and carried to safety. 

“All the starfish need help,” Istus said. “But some need it more than others. Some are hurt or confused or upside down, and they just need a little bit more help.” She smiled up at Taako, and he hated that it made sense. 

“_I get it_,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “I don’t need a god leaning over my shoulder the rest of my life, okay? I can do this. It’s no big deal.” 

“It _is _a big deal,” Istus said, picking up one of the smaller starfish and tossing him to the water. “It was to that one.” She picked up another one and added it to the ocean. She picked up another one. “And to that one. And to that one. And to that one.” 

Taako wrinkled his nose and bent, grabbing a whole armload of the starfish and stomping over to the edge of water. He dumped them all in at once, letting the waves crash over his feet and take them all away. He stood there a moment, starting at the empty space where they had just been. The water was impossibly clear so he was more staring at his feet than anything. 

He looked back at the section of beach that he had cleared. 

“You can’t possibly save them all,” Istus said. She reached across the space between them and pressed a string into his hand.

Taako followed it as it stretched down the beach, stuck in the sand in some places, drifting in the water in others. Far down the beach, almost on the horizon, was the slump of a body. It just lay there, letting the waves shove against it, trying to get it to move. Taako couldn’t make out any details at the distance, but it was obvious that he and the body were connected by the string. 

“You don’t have to love the starfish to save it,” Istus said, patting him on the shoulder and then walking in the opposite direction than the body. “But it would be a shame if they all died just because we couldn’t be bothered to bend down and pick them up.” 

Taako looked back at her, watched her pick up another starfish and toss it into the ocean, and then looked back at the silhouette of the body. 

“Save them out of anger,” Istus said. “Or spite. Or selfishness. It doesn’t really matter.” 

Taako wasn’t really listening anymore. The tide was rising around his feet, up to his ankles now and climbing. The length of the thread in his hand was threatening to get pulled out into the ocean, and the body still hadn’t moved yet, lying face down in the sand as if it didn’t care what was going on around it. The string stretched between them, and Taako felt an ache in his chest that was the sign of another mark forming on his skin. 

Taako didn’t give himself a chance to overthink. He wrapped the string twice around his hand and balled it into a fist, and then he took off down the beach running.


	6. Spooky Movement 6

“Kravitz, you need to get up immediately!” Taako said, shaking Kravitz’s shoulder several times before climbing over him out of bed. “We need to leave!” 

Kravitz was much slower to wake up, blinking sleepily up at Taako before yawning and managing to push himself up. Taako was too busy gathering the clothes that had been thrown around the room whenever they had first gotten here. Damn, they had made quite the mess in such a little time.

"What are you talking about?" Kravitz asked. It looked like he was just going to roll over in bed and attempt to go back to sleep, but he seemed to notice Taako's panic and rolled out of bed. "Hey, hey, hey, what's going on?" 

"We need to leave right now," Taako said, stuffing all his clothes back into his bag and then slinging it over his shoulder. "Like, right now. I swear on Garfield’s whiskers, Kravitz, _right now_. One hundred percent right now.” 

“Okay, okay!” Kravitz said. “Here, let me help you with that.” He tried to take Taako’s bag from him, but Taako pulled away. 

“I got it, we just need to _go_.” He was out the door before Kravitz could do anything, and the reaper was left to scramble after him. 

“Woah, Taako, what is this about?” Kravitz asked. “Why the sudden rush?” 

Taako didn’t want to stop and explain. He didn’t want to waste any more time and he was already so far behind. He was downstairs in an instant, pushing through the morning crowd that was already at the bar and earning himself several dirty looks. Taako glared right back, already shoving them aside and stumbling out the door. 

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” 

The only reason Taako even stopped was because Merle’s voice was so grating that he grimaced so hard he stopped walking. He actually had to close his eyes and take a breath just to make sure he didn’t explode without meaning to. Taako turned slowly, spotting the dwarf climbing halfway out of a trash can and his hair messier than ever. 

“You can’t just leave me,” Merle said. “I’m helping you get to Raven’s Roost!” 

“Then get your ass in gear, old man!” Taako said, jerking his thumb at the road leading out of town. “We need to get there quick and I mean _quick_.”

“Taako!” Kravitz exclaimed, bursting out of the inn as out of breath and un-put together as Taako had ever seen him. "Slow down!" 

Taako crossed the distance between them and grabbed him by the shoulders. “I can’t slow down. I need to get to Raven’s Roost to get Istus off my dick and figure out what the fuck is going on with my soulmate. I want this all to be over and done with. I want to go back home and live the rest of my days out with you, okay? I just want this to be over as soon as possible.” 

Taako didn’t even realize he had started crying until Kravitz was reaching up and rubbing a thumb across his cheek to collect the tears. Taako recoiled on instinct, shoving Kravitz away before scrubbing furiously at his face to get rid of any trace of emotion. He only looked back to Kravitz once he was sure he had glamoured himself to be more presentable. 

“Taako,” Kravitz said softly, looking at him like he was a hurt puppy or something. It was the worst look he could have given Taako. 

“I’m _fine_,” Taako snapped. “We just need to hurry.” 

“I’m all ready to go,” Merle said, taking only the briefest moment to brush himself off before starting off down the road. 

Taako was following him, and then Kravitz was last. There was no conversation between them as they travelled through the outskirts of the town. It was silent for several minutes afterward too. They trekked in awkward silence, only Taako’s fierce determination being the thing to drive them forward. It was very, very awkward. 

The sound of nature kept it from being completely silent at least. Birdsong and wind in the trees and the chirp of horny insects filled the air. Normally it would drive Taako insane, but he was too focused on other things to let it bother him. He couldn't even think about how he was only half dressed, glamoured to look better of course, but still partly falling apart with straps slipping and stockings falling. 

It was Merle who broke the silence. 

"There," he said, pointing up over the tops of the trees around them, much further down the trail. 

Their entire journey had been taking them closer and closer to the coast, and the town they had just stopped at was one of the last before everything was sea-bound. They weren’t necessarily at the ocean, more like very close to a bay area that sheltered the land from the fierce storms of open water. There were few beaches though, instead the shore rising quickly into sheer cliffs that kept invaders at bay but that didn’t stop everyone. 

Merle was pointing to a collection of craggy pillars that rose up out of the sea at dizzying heights. At the very top, built in rounds with the rock at the center to provide support and shelter, were houses and structures that made up one of the few daring towns that existed this close to the water. It was too far to see the movement of citizens and the such, but it was obvious what they were looking at. 

Raven's Roost. 

No one said it but it was what they were all thinking. 

"Well?" Taako snapped, his nerves manifesting as irritation without his meaning to. "Come on! Let's go. We're so close." 

Their pace picked up with their destination so close, and Kravitz was left slightly behind as Taako’s strides became too long to copy and Merle began jogging just to keep up with that. The road began its long winding path out of the forest, making it not as hard on the muscles and legs with its gradual incline. They didn’t have to go all the way out either. 

It wasn’t at the base of the huge cliffs. Actually, it was much before then. It was Taako who spotted the sturdy built wooden elevator and system of ropes and pulleys. It was run by two bored looking guards who perked up when they came crashing around the corner of the road. 

“Hail and well met!” Taako called, raising his hand in greeting. “Is this how we get out to Raven’s Roost?” 

“Aye,” the guard on the left said, raising his own hand to return the greeting. “This is it. Party of three?” 

“Yes,” Taako said, offering a hand to the guards to allow them to help him up into the structure. “We need to leave as soon as possible, please.” 

The guard on the right did indeed help him climb into the elevator and then helped up Merle and Kravitz as well. The other guard was busying herself on the outside, tightening ropes and making sure everything was secure and ready. 

“Did you pass anyone on the trail?” the guard inside asked, presumably making conversation while they waited. 

Merle shook his head while Taako looped his arm in Kravitz’s. “No, we travelled alone, unless there was someone following us at a distance.” 

“Then we’ll wait a bit,” the guard on the outside said. “Just to be sure. Make as few trips as possible. You know how it is.” 

Taako wanted to yell at them to leave immediately and that there was no one on the trails except for them, but Kravitz squeezed his arm reassuringly and kept him at ease.

“That’s alright,” Kravitz said. “We can wait.” 

Taako was almost at his wit’s end, chewing nervously at his nails and trying to ignore the ache that was setting in on his left hip, going all the way down his leg. It would leave him with a limp, and Taako couldn’t wait to get across the gap and give his soulmate the what-for. Merle tucked himself into a corner and did his best to stay out of the way. 

The few minutes crawled by and seemed more like hours until the guards decided that they had waited long enough. The one outside finished up her work before calling to the other guard inside with some sort of local tongue. He called back in the same language, and then with a jolt and creak of wood, the whole contraption jerked free of the supports and swung forward into motion. 

It took a moment as it dragged on the ground before it got far enough out that it could hang freely from the ropes. They weren't over the edge yet and it would be a dozen or so feet before they were, but Taako still clung a bit tighter to Kravitz's arm. 

"It's alright," Kravitz whispered. 

The whole elevator system picked up speed until it was almost as fast as a lazy jog. With a creak from the entire system of pulleys, it swung out over the edge and into the open air. It didn't slow down at all though. It trundled along, making quick progress towards the safety on the other side. Taako clung to Kravitz as it moved and only let go once they were over solid ground again. 

“Have a good visit,” the guard said as he opened the door and allowed them back out onto the ground. “And a great rest of your day!” 

Taako scrambled out first, limping obviously as the pain in his leg hadn’t let up. Still, he was relieved to make it back onto solid ground, the rock under his feet hard but reassuring. Kravitz was next, hand on his shoulder to make sure everything was okay, and Merle was last, whistling a tune as he paid the guard a couple gold for his troubles. 

“Who even built this place?” Taako mumbled. “It’s a fucking death trap.” 

“Raven’s Roost is well known for its blacksmiths and woodworking,” Merle said, walking straight past them on the road into town. “It’s full of trade workers and provides important export that tons of people covet in the mainland.”

“Yeah, and I don’t give two shits,” Taako said. “Look, this place has to have like, what? A hundred people, tops? It can’t take us that long to search the place and find the clumsiest person here, and then I’ll shove my foot up their ass.” 

“Easy,” Kravitz said. “Maybe we should find an inn first. Something to eat? Aren’t you hungry?” 

“No,” Taako said, brushing off the lingering hands and stomping forward.

He wanted to _do something_. He wanted to work. He wanted to _find _his _goddamn soulmate_ and set everything right. As soon as he did that, then he could get back to his normal life. Only, his normal life would be even better because he wouldn’t have to live with constant, fucking pain. They were so close now and Taako didn’t want to stop. 

His leg, which had been throbbing ever since the elevator ride, suddenly flashed with pain, and Taako went down with a grunt. 

Even Merle stopped to see what was wrong. 

“I told you to take it easy,” Kravitz said, rushing to his side. 

“I’m fine,” Taako said, trying to shove him off. It was hard when it felt like his leg was on fire.

“No, you’re not,” Kravitz said and scooped him up like he was nothing. 

Taako settled bridle-style into his arms like usual, and it should have been comforting and reassuring but all Taako could focus on was how he wasn’t moving anymore when the town was_ so close_. He wanted to shove against Kravitz’s chest and push away, but his legs hurt and his stomach hurt and his chest hurt and everything hurt and he was too tired. 

“We’re gonna find a place for you to rest,” Kravitz said, starting towards the town. “And get you something to eat, and _then _you can think about finding your soulmate.” 

Taako groaned. “You know I love you and only you, Kravitz,” he muttered. “You know I’m not here . . . because of love. That’s ridiculous.” 

“Save your energy,” Kravitz said, though he smiled fondly down at Taako. “I’ve got you now.” 

Taako didn’t remember much after that because his eyes rolled back in his head.

*~*

And the next this Taako knew was waking back up in Kravitz’s arms, but instead of being outside, he was in some sort of dark building with barely any light. A cup was tipped up against his mouth, and he had been swallowing without thinking about it. As soon as he registered that that though, he coughed and jerked upright, sputtering and gagging all at once.

“Woah, woah! Sorry about that,” Kravitz said, rubbing his back and bracing him so he could sit upright without too much effort. “I should have noticed you waking up. Deep breaths now.” 

Taako did his best to follow the instructions, but the feeling of someone else’s magic on him was distracting and he couldn’t focus. He looked over and finally noticed Merle sitting on the opposite side of the table they were at, idly casting some sort of healing on him. 

Taako gave him a glare. 

“Whatever, cowboy,” Merle said. He cut off the spell and grabbed the tankard that had been sitting in front of him. “It’s your life, and my spell slots.” 

“Where are we?” Taako asked, twisting in his seat so he was facing Kravitz. He rubbed his eyes with a grimace. “I remember the elevator. I remember getting to Raven’s Roost.” 

“We’re in town,” Kravitz said, pushing a bowl of some sort of chicken soup over to him. It was still warm and steaming so it couldn’t have been ordered much earlier. “I carried you here after you passed out. From the pain, I’m guessing.” 

Taako took a small sip of the soup just to appease Kravitz but then he realized just how hungry he was and began scarfing it down as fast as he could. And it didn’t taste that bad either. Not as good as his own stuff but still pretty good. 

“I told you that you needed food,” Kravitz said as he watched him eat. He sighed. “Sometimes you’re too stubborn for your own good.” 

Taako must’ve been operating really slowly because it was just then that he realized what Kravitz had said. He finished gulping down the rest of his soup before shoving the bowl away. 

“What are we doing here then?” he asked. “Why aren’t we searching the place? We need to get out on the streets!” 

“Easy, easy,” Kravitz said, grabbing him and keeping him in his seat before Taako could climb over the top of the table. “I told you we need to wait. You’re exhausted and you’re pushing yourself too much.” 

Taako huffed but let himself be put back in his seat. He didn’t want to admit it but he was exhausted and he was still hurting despite whatever spell Merle had cast on him. He sat down though and let Kravitz hand him a huge tankard of some sort of alcohol. He downed half of it in several deep gulps and let it warm his chest and stomach. 

“Okay, I’m sitting,” he said. “But have you seen anything? Since I’ve been out?” 

Kravitz shook his head. “I don’t even know what to begin looking for.” 

“I know,” Taako said. “Punch me in the face, and then we can just find whatever person has a mark in the same spot as my bruise.” 

Kravitz wrinkled his nose. “I’m not punching you.” 

Taako pouted. 

“You know, I don’t know what the big rush is,” Merle said, studying his arm as he waited for them. “You’ve waited this long, you can wait for a little bit longer.” 

Taako just glared at him but, same as Kravitz, Merle was right, and Taako wasn’t doing himself any good dragging his aching body all over town. He slumped in his seat and took another gulp from the tankard. His leg was still aching but his stomach had stopped rolling and that was good at least. Maybe if he waited a bit longer, his leg would be okay too. 

“Can I at least get more soup?” he said, jerking his chin at the empty bowl. “I’m still hungry.” 

“Stay here,” Kravitz said, patting him on the shoulder as he stood. “I’ll go grab it.” 

He turned and walked across the dining area, slipping by the tables of people until he reached the bar. It stretched the far end of the room and was currently run by a female dwarf and some sort of part-elf willow of a person. Kravitz talked with the half-elf but the room was too loud to even try to hear what he was saying. 

Taako got bored watching him and shifted his attention to the rest of the room. He studied the other patrons—a healthy mix of several different races who all chatted amongst themselves. It was a friendly atmosphere that lacked the usual stigma between most races. That alone was a welcomed change to most towns. 

The door to the kitchen swung open and a man stumbled out, carrying several bowls of soup balanced gracefully up and down his arms. He had an apron tied around his neck and waist and an unkempt sideburns that was in desperate need of a shave or at least a trim. He dropped the soup off at the counter, pushing them across to the people who had ordered it. 

Kravitz grabbed one and turned to carry it back to Taako’s table. 

That wasn’t what Taako was focused on. He was still staring at the man. 

It was a hulking human, muscles that probably meant he worked at some sort of forge or hard labor. He looked tired but strong. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and Taako didn’t understand how he could work in the hot kitchen with long sleeves anyway. But that wasn’t what caught Taako’s attention the most. He stared at the man as he walked back into the kitchen to work on other orders, until Taako lost sight of him as the double doors swung closed. 

The man walked with an obvious limp.


	7. Spooky Movement 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw for physical abuse, and expect it in the rest of the chapters too, just so that everyone knows 
> 
> stay safe, read with caution

Taako slapped Kravitz’s arm the moment he returned to the table, almost spilling the bowl of soup as he set it down carefully. Food was now the last thing of Taako’s mind though. All he could focus on was the pain that was throbbing in his leg and the fact that the man in the kitchen had a limp on the same side.

Was it a coincidence? Taako wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to believe that it was that easy.

Who was he kidding? It hadn’t been _easy_. It had started off bad and had just gotten worse from there. The pain and the nightmares and the fucking visions from Istus and being forced to come all this way just to meet someone he had absolutely no interest in—Taako wasn’t about to call that easy.

“What is it?” Kravitz asked. He had accidentally spilled broth on one of his fingers and he popped it into his mouth as he sat down, wince a little at the heat. “I thought you wanted soup.”

“The man!” Taako said, jostling Kravitz’s shoulder as he pointed back towards the bar. “The man from the kitchen! Kravitz, didn’t you see?” 

Kravitz was already looking back over his shoulder, trying to see what Taako was talking about, but the man had disappeared behind the swinging doors to the kitchen and was out of sight. As far as he knew, there was no one there at all. 

“Taako, eat,” he said, putting a hand on Taako’s thigh to keep him in his seat. “We’ll look later, I promise. But you need the strength.” 

Taako huffed but Merle was glaring at him too, so he pulled the bowl closer and ate it just as quickly as the first. It was still as good and Kravitz was still right. Taako did feel a lot better with two bowls of soup in his stomach. He even sat for a couple minutes to finish off his tankard too while Kravitz and Merle drank their own beverages. 

Merle left several gold coin on the table as a tip and Kravitz returned to the bar to pay their tab. This time, Taako went with him, pulling his flowing robe around his shoulders so it wasn’t falling off so much. He was suddenly aware that he was wearing shorts and a tank top with only his glamour keeping everyone from seeing the marks that peppered his body. 

He pulled his robe tighter around himself, wishing he had a chance to pull himself together a bit more but they were already at the bar and Kravitz was talking with the half-elf again. Taako was staring blatantly at the doors to the kitchen. 

Soulmate. _His _soulmate. They were right through that door and he was so close. And at the same time, so far away. 

He wanted more time to prepare. 

No, he wanted to burst into the kitchen and confront the man right now. 

No, he wanted Kravitz to come with him and they would confront the man together. 

No, Taako wanted to do this all by himself. He didn’t want anyone else to see. Would he cry? Taako felt like he would for sure have a breakdown. Maybe he didn’t want to do this after all. But he couldn’t turn around now. He had come so far. 

Taako grabbed Kravitz arm and threaded their fingers together. He squeezed and Kravitz squeezed back, no questions asked. 

The half-elf gave them a look, but they were getting paid and couldn’t care less what they were doing. They had a large, wine-red mark that covered half of their face in a jagged sort of pattern which was a little unnerving to think about what had happened to their soulmate. They made change quickly though and handed the coins back to Kravitz. 

“Who’s the man in the kitchen?” Taako asked, craning his neck in an attempt to see over the doors. “The big fella. Big beard. Yay high.” He put a hand over his head since, even at a distance, it was obvious that the man would tower over him if they were next to each other. 

The half-elf looked bored and grabbed a glass to wipe clean while they thought over Taako’s description. “You mean Magnus?” they finally said. “He’s the only cook back there that would be that tall.” 

Taako yanked on Kravitz’s arm excitedly. “Can we talk to him?” he asked. “I want to talk to him.” 

The half-elf sighed and looked back through the doors, as if judging how busy the cooks were and if it was worth it to go back and bother the workers. They finally sighed and rubbed a hand over the red half of their face. “I’ll go see if they have any time,” they said. 

Taako watched anxiously as they left the bar and pushed through the kitchen doors. He lost sight of them and had to cling to Kravitz while he waited. 

“Do you think this is it?” he asked. “Fuck, Kravitz, what if this is it? What if that’s him? I don’t know what to say!” 

“Easy,” Kravitz said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. It was protection from prying eyes and emotional support. Taako clung to it. “We’ll get through this. And if we can’t talk now, we can always meet later.” 

Taako laughed nervously. “Maybe it’s not even him. Maybe it’s someone completely different.”

“We’ll see,” Kravitz said. “We’ll see.” 

It took a long time—too long in Taako’s opinion—for the half-elf to reappear out of the kitchen. The doors were swinging shut before Taako could get a good look. The half-elf still looked mostly bored with the whole situation. 

“Yeah, he’s back there,” they said. “But we’re busy right now. I can take a message if you want. You relatives or something?” 

“No,” Kravitz said before Taako could interject and lie for them both. “We . . . might know him though. Is there an inn around here that we could meet perhaps?” 

The half-elf thought it over, scribbling something shorthand on a napkin as they thought. “The Stranger’s Inn isn’t too far from here,” they finally said. “It’s pretty cheap and usually has rooms open. Plus a restaurant area where you could sit down, I guess.” 

“That’d be great,” Kravitz said, still talking for both of them so Taako didn’t blurt out anything stupid.

The half-elf jotted something else down on the napkin and then nodded. “Alright, I’ll let him know. Later tonight, maybe after the usual dinner meal. Maybe tomorrow. He’ll work something out I’m sure.” 

Kravitz nodded. “Thank you. That’s really helpful of you.” 

“No problem,” the half-elf said with a customer service smile. “Have a great rest of you day.” 

Taako let himself get pulled away from the counter, still perched on Kravitz’s arm and still silent. The nerves that were making his stomach flop had slightly calmed down now that he knew he wouldn’t have to face the man immediately. At least he would have a bit of time to prepare. 

Magnus. 

He turned the name over in his mind and mouth, trying to get a feel for it. His soulmate, Magnus. They were connected, maybe in love, definitely in pain. Magnus. His name even _sounded _like he was clumsy as shit. He wasn’t necessarily bad looking, Taako decided. Definitely not as handsome as Kravitz but not really hard on the eyes. If Taako had seen him out of the street, he wouldn’t have given him a second glance. 

But these were different circumstances. 

Now, Taako tried to hold onto the brief image he had of the man, trying to remember all the different little things he could. What color were his eyes? What had he been wearing under the apron? Taako hadn’t even noticed. Was Magnus’s hair a brown or was it more of a reddish chestnut? Taako agonized over his stupidity to not have studied him further. 

“I can’t wait,” Taako said as they walked out of the restaurant/bar. Merle was right behind them. “It’s too long. Let’s go back in there and tell them it’s an emergency!” 

Kravitz shook his head though. “I’m not going to lie to them.” 

“That isn’t a lie,” Taako said. “Me being in constant pain is an emergency. See? Morally okay. Now let’s go back.” He tried to pull Kravitz but at always, the reaper was stronger than he looked and Taako couldn’t even get him to budge. 

“You need rest and I’m taking you to that inn,” Kravitz said. “We are doing nothing until you get some proper sleep. We’ll meet him tonight. Until then, why don’t you sleep?” 

Taako frowned. “Only if you promise that if we hear back from him, you’ll make sure that you plan for a meeting tonight. No putting things off until tomorrow.” 

Kravitz smiled. “I promise.” 

Just as the half-elf promised, the Stranger’s Inn was only a little way down the street and had plenty of open room available for purchase. Kravitz rented two and paid for both. Merle got embarrassed over the whole thing but accepted when Kravitz insisted. They parted ways at their rooms, and Taako and Kravitz got a chance to be alone since they started this whole journey. 

Taako immediately collapsed on the bed, letting his glamour down with an exhausted sigh and was just going to pass out then and there. Kravitz sat beside him though and gently coaxed him out of his clothes so he would sleep more comfortably. It wasn’t that hard since Taako was mostly falling apart already. In fact, he was already breathing steadily before Kravitz had even finished. 

When Kravitz turned, he spotted Merle leaning on the doorway of the room, a sleeping spell still sparkling at the ends of his fingertips. He smiled and gave Kravitz a wink. 

“We both know he wasn’t going to rest on his own,” he said. 

“True,” Kravitz said, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him and keeping himself between Merle and the room. He eyed the dwarf distrustfully. “But I’d appreciate it if you kept your spells to yourself if you aren’t going to ask first. I’ll let it slide once.” 

Merle swallowed and nodded quickly, stepping to the side to give Kravitz room to walk. “I understand,” he said, face a bright red now that he realized his mistake. “Yes. Sorry. I should have asked. Sorry.” 

“Just don’t do it again,” Kravitz said. He may or may not have allowed his face to melt to show his skeleton form and glowing eyes. 

Yes, Taako could very much take care of himself at any given moment and didn’t need Kravitz’s help in the slightest. That didn’t mean Kravitz was going to let anyone side-eye his boyfriend when he was around. Or use spells without permission. Kravitz had an edge on intimidation and he wasn’t about to let it go to waste. 

He would wait in the dining area of the inn, maybe order a drink or two to keep himself occupied. Kravitz would wait for word from the man, from Magnus, and just as he promised to Taako, he would schedule for them to meet tonight if possible. As early as possible. 

Kravitz found a table that wasn’t completely in a corner but also wasn’t in the middle of the room either. It was within view of the front door and that was all he needed really. He settled down, let a young girl take his order, and kept to himself otherwise. 

Kravitz meditated. Or he dozed off. He closed his eyes at some point and lost track of time. He didn’t mean to, but the inn was quiet without too much traffic and it was easy to fall asleep even sitting in a chair. 

He woke up with a twinge one of his fingers, nothing in the muscles or bones but as he watched, a pale pink mark bloomed on his skin. It was only a thin line, meaning his soulmate must’ve nicked themselves cutting something. It wasn’t often that Kravitz got marks. Unlike Taako’s soulmate, his was careful and graceful and hardly left anything behind for Kravitz to find. 

He had forgotten that he was supposed to be looking for anyone until someone dragged back the chair on the opposite side of the table. He sat up quickly. 

“Sorry,” the man said as he sat down. He ducked his head apologetically, as if he was trying to make himself as small as possible. 

It would have been a hard thing to do. The man, while human, was still large and muscled, sweaty but fit from work in a kitchen and most likely next to a forge as well. If he was a product of Raven’s Roost, then he knew woodworking and metal work as well. Indeed, his hands and knuckles were rough and calloused. 

“Um, I’m Magnus,” the man said, sneaking a look up at Kravitz and then deciding it was safe to keep his head up. “Not often strangers come into town, asking around.” 

“Yes,” Kravitz said and gathered himself. “Yes, I understand. I hope no one got suspicious or worried. I didn’t mean to upset.” 

Magnus shook his head. “No harm done, just—ah, why would you want to see me?” 

Kravitz studied that scars on Magnus’s face. One in particular split his eyebrow on one side in half. The other marked his jaw. If Kravitz were to guess, he’d say that Magnus’s gut and back were wounded as well, with ones that weren’t so healed up and still fresh. Even now, Magnus kept the leg, the one that was making him limp, tucked safely beneath the table so that no one could trip over it. 

“I’m sorry,” Kravitz said. He couldn’t think of what to say. This was supposed to be a conversation that Taako would handle, not him. “Um, we kinda came all this way without knowing what we’d find.” 

Magnus just shook his head. “I still have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

Kravitz held up his hand, the one that had the most recent mark. “This. Well, not this. But the marks. That’s what brought us.” Kravitz was _really _struggling with this conversation. “Um, my boyfriend. Not me. I think you and him are soulmates.” 

Magnus frowned and then grabbed Kravitz’s half-finished drink, downing it in three quick gulps. He gasped for air when it was gone and signaled to the lady behind the bar for another. She nodded and set about filling his order. 

“I don’t think this is right,” Magnus said. “I’ve only had marks . . . one or two times.” 

Kravitz couldn’t help but smile. “Taako is always careful with himself.” 

Magnus was still talking. “Besides, not that it’s anything wrong with you, but, uh, I already have someone. _She _and I—well, we aren’t official or anything, like. Actually, forget I said anything. Don’t tell anyone. I mean it.” 

There was a sort of urgency in his voice that made Kravitz nod immediately. He didn’t know much about Magnus’s life but it was best to give him as much privacy as possible. 

“Taako is resting upstairs,” he said instead of commenting on Magnus’s secretive request. “He’s the one who wanted to talk to you. I can go wake him up, if you’re okay with that. He knows more of . . . of what’s going on here.” 

Magnus shrugged. “That makes one of us.” 

The waiter arrived with Magnus’s drink refill as Kravitz stood and walked away from the table. He moved quickly, not wanting to lose the man to disinterest or impatience. Taako was exactly where he had been left, sprawled across the bed and still comfortable. Normally, Kravitz would hate to disturb him since Taako always had a hard time with sleep. But now was different. 

Kravitz gently nudged his shoulder, enough to wake him up but not too much to startle him. 

Taako had been sleeping rather peacefully for the first time since he could remember. Yeah, it had been a long time. He didn’t dream or have nightmares or any visions either. Istus and his soulmate let him have a single night of rest and for that, Taako was grateful. 

Still, when Kravitz rocked him awake, he was also grateful. Waking up meant his soulmate was here, whether it was the man from the kitchen or not. It meant progress. It meant something had happened while he was asleep and that meant they were a step closer. 

He sat upright immediately, rubbing his eyes even though he was barely registering what Kravitz was saying. 

“—From the kitchen is here. We talked a for a bit but I don’t really know what to say to him, so I’m a little lost.” 

“Downstairs?” Taako asked, jolting completely awake when he finally realized what Kravitz was saying. “He’s downstairs right now?” 

He was jumping out of bed then, scrambling to get his clothes back on and make himself presentable. He was painfully aware of the dark marks on his skin, dark pink on light pink instead of Kravitz’s beautiful yellow-on-brown. They are shadows on his stomach and thighs and legs, and Taako couldn’t see them but on his face and back too. 

He dressed quickly, pulling on clothes that weren’t too flashy but weren’t completely dull either. He covered himself in a glamour too and then thought better of it. Wouldn’t his soulmate want to see the marks? To show that they were connected? That he was the one? Taako took the glamour off and grimaced. 

No, he put it back on. If his soulmate really cared and if it really meant something, they could deal with bare-face later. 

Taako stopped in front of the mirror, catching his own gaze and seeing the panic so clearly there. Other than that, he looked pretty normal. A hot elf with a good complexion and an impeccable sense of fashion. Other than the panic in his eyes, he looked like he was about to go out for dinner with his significant other and nothing else. 

Not about to meet his fate in the bar just downstairs. 

“I’m ready,” he said, turning away from the mirror and immediately reaching for Kravitz’s hand. 

Kravitz grabbed it immediately, giving him a squeeze but letting him lead the way downstairs. 

Taako didn’t bother going slowly. He didn’t want to wait any longer. In fact, the only reason he didn’t jump down the stairs in one go was the fact that he was still holding hands with Kravitz. It was the only thing that made him slow down. 

He recognized the man from the kitchen the moment he turned into the restaurant area immediately. It was hard to miss him if Taako was being honest. He was big, he had loud hair, and he didn’t really settle into the crowd just right. In a way, he was like a very drab Taako, and then Taako felt embarrassed that he compared himself to a human.

“Hail,” he said, way too loud as he approached the table. He winced and lowered his voice as he took a seat across from the man. He offered a hand. “I’m Taako.” 

“Magnus,” the man said and accepted the handshake. 

Taako couldn’t help but notice the heavy scabs across the backs of Magnus’s hand. He had matching marks on his own hands. 

“I think you’re my soulmate,” he blurted out. “Um, matching marks and everything. Pretty cool right? What’s up?” 

Magnus wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, and I was just telling him—” He jerked a thumb at Kravitz. “I have someone. If you came here expecting me to drop everything, I can’t. That’s not how the world works.” 

“Oh, believe me, I know!” Taako said. “I didn’t come here to ask you out! He’s _my _boyfriend.” Now it was his turn to jerk his thumb at Kravitz. “I came here because I keep feeling pain across our . . . link and Istus told me to come.” 

Now that Taako said it out loud, he realized just how insane that sounded. He sounded so fucking insane. He sounded like he had taken fantasy drugs and was off his shits and Magnus was looking at him like he had done just that. 

“It sounds crazy, but it’s true,” Taako said. “Look, apparently if the feeling is strong enough, it can travel across the marks, from me to you. And you are doing some painful shit that is ruining my life. I can’t even sleep without feeling like you are taking a hammer to your knee.” 

“I’m sorry,” Magnus said, throwing his hands in the air. “Look, it isn’t my fault. It’s just my life. I didn’t ask to be connected to you.” 

“And I didn’t ask to be connected to you,” Taako said. “Look! I’m just saying, you could be a bit more careful and not so clumsy and everything will be peachy.” 

Magnus was starting to frown, not really hostile, not yet, but very close. “I’m one of the best wood workers in Raven’s Roost,” he said, slamming his mug down on the table. “I’m the furthest thing from clumsy. Maybe you need to get your shit together and not blame others for your problems.” 

“Okay, we need to calm down,” Kravitz said, now glad he had chosen to sit between them. “This isn’t how I thought it was going to go.” 

Taako stood up, shoving his chair back as he moved too fast. Standing, he was taller than Magnus. But if Magnus stood, he would tower over Taako, no question. Taako had to use the moment while he could. 

“I didn’t ask to be connected to you either,” Taako said. “And the only reason I came here was because a stupid god told me you were in trouble. And needed my help. I didn’t want this!” 

“Hey!” Kravitz said, putting a hand on Taako’s chest to hold him back as he leaned out across the table. 

Magnus now pushed his own chair back and stood. Just like Taako guessed, he was a good head taller even though Taako had the advantage of being an elf. He was also twice as wide, muscular, and definitely not above getting in a bar brawl. 

Taako swallowed sharply but refused to show his fear. 

This was not going how he planned. 

“Stay out of my life,” Magnus said. His voice wasn’t angry and neither was his face but his hands were clenched into tight fists. “Soulmate or not, I don’t care. Please, leave me alone.” 

Without another word and without giving Taako a chance to retort, Magnus turned and walked away, leaving a couple coins on the counter to pay for his share of the drinks and then disappearing out the door. Taako was left seething where he stood, barely held back by Kravitz. 

“Who does he think he is?” he hissed. He refused to sit down. “Getting angry at _me_? Getting angry at _me _for coming _here_?! As if I wanted to, ha! Can you believe this guy, Kravitz?” 

“Unbelievable,” Kravitz said, moving around the table so he could loop his arm around Taako to better hold him in place. "But it's not entirely his fault. Imagine is someone just showed up claiming to be _your_ soulmate." 

"I'd be confused but I wouldn't get angry at him," Taako snapped. “I wouldn’t eat his ass just because he showed up. Our marks match. We’re soulmates. He didn’t need to be a dick about it!” 

He shoved Kravitz’s hands off and stomped towards the door, ready to tell Magnus just what was going through his mind. He burst out of the front doors, aware that Kravitz was scrambling behind him but not caring at all. He looked left and right, trying to find which way Magnus had gone. 

Taako spotted him rounding a corner around a block away, staring down at his feet as he walked and not noticing Taako at all. Taako scowled and took off running. Good gods, he had reduced himself to running as if Magnus was a lover that he had to catch. Taako would have kicked himself if this wasn’t absolutely mandatory. 

He rounded the corner, already looking to see where Magnus had gone to next, and spotted him talking with another man atop a horse. 

It was a small travelling party—three horses and three riders. The man Magnus was talking to was dressed in fine clothes. It made Taako label him as some sort of nobility or at least someone important. Rich. The other two men were dressed nice, but not as nice, clearly friends of the man but of lower rank. 

Taako was too far away to hear what was being said. He jogged to a stop because the nobleman looked angry about something, gesturing wildly to Magnus as he talked. Kravitz suddenly grabbed Taako from behind anyway having finally caught up with him. 

Taako barely noticed. Magnus was gesturing back at the man, not as wild or as emotional. In fact, he looked like he wanted to run away from the man but couldn’t. 

“Taako, let’s go back to the inn,” Kravitz muttered. “We can talk later. Find him again.” 

Taako was still watching Magnus, watching the conversation that he couldn’t hear, but he left himself be pulled back. He didn’t turn yet but backpedaled as Kravitz pulled him along. Just before he turned the corner and lost sight of Magnus, he watched the nobleman grab one of Magnus’s wrists and pull hard, spurring his horse forward so that Magnus was dragged suddenly, pulled off his feet. 

Taako gasped without meaning to as his own shoulder suddenly throbbed in pain. He lost sight of Magnus then but if the continued wrench of his shoulder was anything to go by, then the nobleman was definitely not done with Magnus.

Oh fuck. 

Taako had had everything wrong. And then he felt bad for calling Istus a useless god and he felt bad about everything he had just said. As if to drive home his point, his left cheek throbbed as if someone had slapped him, and Taako knew that that had been something he could have stopped.


	8. Spooky Movement 8

“Kravitz, I had it all wrong!” Taako exclaimed once they were safely back in the privacy of the rooms they had rented.

“You think?” Kravitz said. In the stress, he had forgotten to keep his human skin on and now both of his hands were completely skeletal. “Taako, that was rude. Inappropriate. Why would you yell at him like that? He was just as confused at you.” 

“We were all confused,” Taako said, rolling his eyes. “Don’t blame me.” 

“That attitude is exactly what got us here,” Kravitz snapped. “When will you ever learn?!”

“Learn what?” Taako snapped back. “How was I supposed to know that the marks weren’t his fault? That’s not my problem.” 

Kravitz just sighed and rubbed a hand against his temples. “It’s your problem when you yell at someone in the middle of a restaurant and have zero conflict resolution skills. It was immature. I thought we worked on this, Taako.” 

“What, no ‘babe’?” Taako asked, giving Kravitz a smirk as he lounged back on the bed. Maybe seductively, maybe on accident, maybe not. 

Kravitz just looked at him like he was out of his mind. “I need some time,” was all he said. 

“Wait, no!” Taako said, lunging to grab Kravitz’s hand. 

The reaper was too quick though and was already discoporating when Taako’s hands went through him. Taako tried to grab his hands or his shirt or his face, but Kravitz disappeared into a cloud of smoke and Taako was left all alone in the room. 

“Fuck!” Taako exclaimed, stomping his foot. “Kravitz, babe, where did you go? You _know _I don’t mean that stuff. It was a—” Taako couldn’t even say it was a joke. 

He fell back on the bed with a huff and curled himself into a ball.

It was comforting to bring his knees up to his chest and just occupy the smallest space possible. It was something that Taako hadn’t done is a long, long time and he just sat there for several minutes, staring at nothing on the floor. There was a twinge in his leg to keep him company, almost as constant as his heartbeat and a reminder of everything he was doing wrong. 

Taako realized, after a while, that Raven’s Roost didn’t have the usual sounds of wildlife. He could hear the waves in the distance, crashing against the base of the pillars that held Raven’s Roost up. Not even seagulls cared enough to make their homes on the craggy rocks, though some species of owl could find enough food to make the place home. 

But there wasn’t the chatter of songbirds or the wine of insects. There wasn’t the rustle of wind through leaves or the creak of branches and wood. Taako was used to all of that, living in the woods or at least close to the woods or in just the general vicinity of the woods. But Raven’s Roost was the exact opposite of all of that.

The whole place seem dead. Not even the town itself was very loud. People seemed to live quietly here, something that Taako definitely wasn’t used to.

He pushed himself up from the bed and walked over to his luggage. 

It wasn’t like he had packed anything bland or even normal, but Taako picked through what he had until he found a shirt and pants that wouldn’t make him stand out too much. His sandals were still flashy and Taako wasn’t about to lower himself to having messy hair. He glamoured himself to look normal, more pedestrian, so he would look like all the other pedestrians here. 

He studied himself in the room’s mirror, wrinkling his nose at what he saw. Lowly, dirty, un-flamboyant, and like any other elf on the streets. Taako sighed and grabbed a handful of coins and tucked it into his shirt where it couldn’t be snatched by any common thief. 

“I’m going,” he told the empty room just in case Kravitz had stuck around for a bit longer. “I am sorry, you know. I think—” He sighed and looked down at his feet. “I think everything got out of control.” He fiddled with the hem of his plain shirt and tried not to blame everything on Magnus. “But! I’m going to try to fix it. I think.” 

Taako sighed because there was no way of knowing if Kravitz was listening or not and that didn’t make him feel any better about himself. There wasn’t much else to do, or say, so Taako gathered himself, made the final touches on his glamour disguise, and headed out of the room. 

“Where’re ya headed?” 

The voice nearly made Taako jump out of his skin, and he spun around to glare at Merle, leaning casually on the door of his own room.

“Why do you suddenly care?” Taako said, crossing his arms over his chest. Merle was not someone he wanted to see or talk to at the moment. 

Merle shrugged. “Just asking, no need to bite my head off.” 

Taako sighed and lost all fight. He couldn’t do this with another person. He had just done this with Magnus and he knew how that ended and doing it again with Merle was just going to crush him even more. Taako dropped the aggression but refused to stoop as low as an apology. 

“I’m heading out,” he said. “To walk around the town. Maybe look for my soulmate.” Merle didn’t know who Magnus was yet. “I just don’t wanna stay here.” 

Merle looked surprised at the change in attitude but at least didn’t comment on it. Instead he nodded. “Alright. Well, I’m staying here if you need me.”

Taako bit back a ‘nobody cares’ and nodded instead, giving Merle his best fake smile. With that conversation over and done with, he turned and hurried down the hallway. Not that he _wanted _to get away from Merle because that would be rude but he definitely wanted to get out of the inn and onto the streets.

The hallways were empty besides him and Merle, and the rooms were quiet same as the rest of this goddamn place. The restaurant where Taako had been moments before was quiet too. He ducked his head to avoid any looks and hurried out as fast as he could. 

The streets. Empty. At least when he was outside, Taako could smell the sea and hear the waves better. The wind buffeted him but in a nice way, like a reassuring nudge forward instead of a shove. And it wasn’t cold, which Taako was endlessly thankful for. The weather had yet to turn south and become the freezing rain and snow of winter. 

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and trudged down the street, mostly looking at the ground but occasionally looking up to see if he spotted Magnus or anyone familiar. There were a few people out and about doing work and errands but other than that, Taako was mostly alone. He walked a complete circle and ended up back at the Stranger’s Inn before he realized that if he wanted a true change in scenery, he would have to take one of the rope bridges to another stone pillar of the town.

The town, as a whole, was spread across a dozen or so stone pillars, connected with rope bridges and in some cases, horizontal elevators like Taako had used to come here in the first place. They swayed in the coastal breeze, but the ropes were heavy and the wood looked weathered but tough.

Taako gulped but dutifully approached the edge. 

Once he got closer, he could see that salt from the sea air had crystalized over almost the entire bridge, making the whole thing crunchy, not slippery, but also not really stable or best for walking. Taako swallowed again and looked across the gap to the next stone pillar. 

If Kravitz were here, Taako would make a big deal about being scared so he could hold Kravitz’s hand as they walked across. He might even be able to sit in Kravitz’s arms and get carried. Taako wouldn’t be as scared as he was if Kravitz were here. 

But Kravitz wasn’t. 

Taako was all alone. There wasn’t anyone to be scared with and that made being scared not as fun. Taako took a deep breath to calm himself. Fuck, did he really have to go through with this? Taako sighed. 

He snapped his fingers in an attempt to locate an object, hoping that by some stroke of luck, Magnus was still on his pillar. The magic took a moment to work and once it did, it only confirmed what Taako was dreading. 

The spell directed him not one, not even two, but three pillars away. At least, that’s what the spell told him. Taako debated going straight back to the inn and just going to sleep and waiting until tomorrow. Maybe by then Kravitz would be back and Taako wouldn’t have to be scared alone anymore.

But no, that wasn’t what Taako had come out here to do. He mustered his courage and took the first step out onto the bridge. 

It creaked immediately under his weight, and Taako really, really, really didn't want to do this. 

"Um, excuse me. Do you need help?" 

Taako spun around sharply, jumping off the bridge and back onto solid ground. He couldn't help but frown at the woman who was staring at him. 

She was tall, around as tall as Kravitz which meant she had several inches on Taako. If he stood next to her, he would have to look up. Like Kravitz, her skin was dark too and her hair that hung almost all the way to her waist, was twisted into dreadlocks. Wooden beads that had been braided in clattered against each other whenever she moved. She was staring at Taako, obviously concerned, a basket of fresh vegetables resting on her hip. 

"I don't need any help," Taako said, sticking his nose in the air. "But, uh, if you want to go first, I can wait." 

The woman just smiled at him. "Newcomers are always nervous about crossing the bridges," she said and offered him a hand. "I can help you across. I'm already headed in that direction." 

Taako stuffed his hands into his armpits. "I'm not scared," he said. "I can cross just fine." 

"My name is Julia," the woman said. "Look, it's no big deal. The bridges have broken before so it's actually better to be cautious of them." 

Taako gulped and looked back at the salt crusted ropes. They had broken before? Now that definitely wasn't good. He could cast magic to make them strong enough to hold while he crossed, but he couldn't think of a spell that would fit just right without calling too much attention to himself. 

"Come here," Julia said was a grin and stepped up to his side. 

With one arm, she grabbed him around the waist and threw him over her shoulder. Taako was too stunned to do anything at first, and then Julia started walking. She strode right out onto the bridge and they were too far away from solid ground for Taako to feel safe struggling for freedom. 

He could only squeak in alarm and cling to Julia's bicep while she strode confidently across the open space. He closed his eyes at some point so that he didn't have to stare down at the choppy waves and dizzying distance between himself and the ocean below. 

Julia wasn't bothered at all. She kept going and finally plopped Taako down on the other side. 

As soon as Taako’s feet hit solid ground, he couldn’t stop himself from collapsing in a puddle of nerves. Being carried by Kravitz would have been fine, but by a complete stranger where Taako could have fallen to his death at any moment was a huge no-no. Before Taako could even begin to pull himself together, Julia was crouching next to him, rubbing his back.

“There, there,” she said. “You’re alright. We made it safe.” 

“Jesus Christ, woman!” Taako snapped, slapping her hands away. “Why the hell would you do that?!” 

“I was just trying to help,” Julia said. “Sorry if I startled you.” 

“Startled me?!” Taako said, shoving himself to his feet. “You could have killed me! Are you _insane_?!” 

Julia shrank back from his outburst and kept her hands to herself. She stared at him for a moment and then stood, brushing off her apron over her skirt. “I’m sorry,” she said with an embarrassed laugh. “I do tend to forget myself around strangers. I should have asked first.” 

“Damn right you should have,” Taako said. He was about to give her the entire what-for and tell her exactly what he thought of her actions when he caught himself. This is exactly what he was trying to avoid. And then he had gone right back to doing the same thing. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down. “No, I’m sorry,” he said. “I _did_ need help across the bridge. They’re too high for me.” 

Julia was beaming at him instantly. “Aye, that’s what most newcomers say about the town. That’s why I offered help in the first place. Didn’t mean to grab you like that but it seemed like the only way to get you across.” She offered him a hand. “Come on. How far are you going? We can cross the other ones together.” 

“Just two more pillars,” Taako said. He looked over where he had to travel and grimaced. 

“I’m heading to the Center,” Julia said, jerking her chin at the huge pillar that sat ahead.

It was the largest of the cluster that Raven’s Roost sat on, big enough to hold twice as many houses and shops as the pillar that Taako had first arrived on, maybe even more. In the very middle of the stretch of stone was the main structure, a circular house with a cobblestone chimney that spewed black smoke into the air. Even from the distance, Taako could see the bustle of foot traffic that surrounded the houses as well. 

“I’ll follow you there,” Taako said. “And then take my leave.” He clasped her hand tight and found it very awkward to be holding the hand of a woman who wasn’t Lup. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to pull away, but he forced himself to grin and bear it.

“Excellent,” Julia said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. 

She pulled him along, her strides long and confident that they forced Taako was scramble along after her. Every two of his steps equaled to one of hers. Still, it was much nicer to walk through the town with a local. Julia knew where she was going and knew everyone that lived in Raven’s Roost. She was quick to offer a smile or a loud hello to anyone and everyone she recognized. Taako was in a shadow for the first time, as everyone smiled and called back to Julia, barely sparing him a second glance.

Julia moved fast though, and it wasn’t long before they were at the next bridge. Julia’s step didn’t falter though and she pressed on without missing a step. Taako almost jumped back into her arms when his foot first hit wood but he learned that if he kept his eyes locked on Julia’s swinging dreadlocks—so similar to Kravitz’s own, except longer—it made the walk across not as bad. 

And then they were at the Center. Or, as the carved wooden sign propped on the roof of the huge building Taako had seen from a distance said ‘Hammer and Tongs.’ Julia headed straight for it. 

“My father’s workshop,” she said, jerking her chin at it. “My stop. You going further?” 

Taako dreaded the thought of crossing the bridges on his own. “No, I’m good right here,” he said. “Uh, thanks though.” 

Julia released his hand immediately and gave him a smile. “Right then. Maybe I’ll see you around. Raven’s Roost is pretty small and I’ve got to say, you certainly don’t blend into a crowd. I’ll find you, one way or another I guess.” 

Taako nodded and returned her smile. “Yeah, sure. Whatever. Not sure how long I’ll stay here.” 

“Well, then, I’m off,” Julia said. She turned and hefted the vegetables a little higher on her hip, disappearing through the front doors of the shop. 

Taako was left in the walkway, as people bustled around him. They all had places to go and things to do, and Taako didn’t. His leg was starting to throb a bit, and he unconsciously dug into his hip with his knuckles. He didn’t have anything else to do and the location magic wasn’t helping anymore as it was pinging all over the place. Taako dropped his efforts and his standards and trudged forward into the Hammer and Tongs. 

He was immediately struck with how loud and chaotic the whole place was. Surprisingly, not that dark though. Huge skylights that could be cranked open for ventilation, while dark from smoke, still let in enough light to make the place bright and cheerful. 

Julia was standing behind a front counter, sleeves rolled up as she poured over a stack of papers. Her pencil was propped in her mouth as she was lost in thought so she didn’t notice Taako right away. Taako took the chance to look around a bit more. 

The building as a whole had an open layout, with few walls and doors to separate anything from anything. Several forges were set up against the wall, creating workspaces for the blacksmiths that pounded away at their metals. They worked shirtless, which Taako could definitely appreciate, and they were sweating from the heat of the fires.

“Oh! I didn’t expect you so soon,” Julia called, finally looking up from her work. “Say, I don’t think I caught your name the first time around.” 

“Um, Taako,” Taako said, stepping further into the building. He limped because his leg was aching even more now and he wiped his hands on his pants to clear them of nervous sweat. He looked around at all the people working. “My name is Taako.” 

“Well, Taako, what can I do for you?” Julia asked with the same broad smile she had for everyone. “What smithy work do you need done?” 

“None,” Taako said. He couldn’t stop staring at all the people working. Not because they were men but because he had never seen anyone doing such back-breaking work and doing it so happily. “I mean, can _I _work? I, uh, I don’t have anything better to do.” 

Julia smiled even wider at him, propping her chin on her hand and her elbow on the desk. “What? A twig thing like you?” 

To his surprise, Taako felt his cheeks go hot under her scrutiny. Whether it was anger or embarrassment, he wasn’t quite sure. But he balled his hands into fists and squared back his shoulders anyway. 

“I can work,” he said stubbornly, because his world had narrowed down to proving this woman wrong. “I’m not as weak as I look, alright?” 

Julia nodded and chewed her bottom lip in thought. “Well, we have enough people swinging hammers,” she said. “And enough children running errands.” She swept her gaze across the workspace and was quiet for a moment. “I guess we do need someone to haul wood.” 

Taako almost lost all his resolve right then and there and headed back to the inn, but he was stubborn and didn’t want to cross the bridges all alone. And Julia was smirking at him as if she knew he was going to back down and give up. Taako didn’t want to give her that satisfaction. 

“Fine,” he said. “I can . . . _haul wood_.” 

Julia smiled at him and jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “Pile’s out back. You need to keep the stacks next to all the forges full. The workers burn through a lot.” 

Taako huffed, but dutifully rolled up his sleeves and got to work. 

He wasn’t used to such . . . menial labor, and at the very start, he could only carry one or two pieces of wood at a time. With that pace though, he quickly fell behind and had to run between stations just to keep everyone even half full. He had to carry full armloads after that, lugging the bigger trips back and forth. He broke a sweat before long, which Taako didn’t think he had done for _decades_. 

It was . . . invigorating. 

Did Taako think work was invigorating? It was the strangest feeling in the world. As he worked, though his leg continued to throb and force him to limp, he didn’t have to think about _why _it was like that. He was much too focused on keeping wood boxes full and calling back and forth to the workers. 

He picked up names just as quick, or nicknames. Taako wasn’t really sure about actual, christian titles but the workers responded when he yelled at them and he responded when they yelled at him. It was a system that worked and Taako didn’t have enough time to stop and question it. 

He lost track of time too and was rushing a particularly large armload in when the front doors opened and a person walked in. Now, Taako didn’t pay much attention to the customers that walked in. That was Julia’s job. But he recognized this customer and they recognized him. 

“What are you doing here?” Taako blurted on instinct, freezing so fast that he almost dropped all of his wood. 

Magnus was glaring at him too, apparently having the same sentiment that he had. 

“Magnus, dear,” Julia exclaimed, not noticing their exchange and jumping up from behind her desk. She ran to meet Magnus, stooping to pick him up from under his knees and hoisting him into the air. 

And Magnus seemed to forget that Taako was even there as he laughed and cradled Julia’s face. He leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead before wincing and pushing against her arms. 

“Dear, I can’t,” he said, his voice hushed and almost indiscernible over the sound of clanging hammers. “Please, not in public like this.” 

“My father’s shop is not public,” Julia said with a laugh but obliged him and set him down. 

Taako gulped as he watched Magnus favor one leg, hobble to the counter, and lean heavily against it. Julia was at his side for all of it, and even though she was taller than Magnus by a couple inches, she seemed to hover and fret like someone half her size. 

“This is getting worse,” she hissed under her breath. 

Taako quickly dumped his wood in the lowest box and sidled closer so he could listen in. 

“I don’t like it, not one bit,” Julia said, rubbing a hand along Magnus’s shoulders. “It gets more and more, and you come back black and blue. Sometimes _bloody_.”

Magnus shrugged off her touch and then re-noticed Taako. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said and jerked his chin. “Not with him around.” 

Julia looked between them, frowning as she tried to see the connection that was the furthest thing from obvious. She slipped her hand into Magnus’s and stepped between him and Taako, squaring back her shoulders and looking Taako up and down. 

“It’s nothing like that,” Magnus said, pulling her away. “It’s just—” 

Taako grabbed the collar of his shirt and ripped it down. The fabric tore easily underneath his fingers as it wasn’t made for hard work or to be pulled at. He hadn’t bothered to glamour anything but his face so the huge marks across his chest and ribs were clear as day. 

Magnus’s hand shot to his own stomach, clutching the same area on his own body. Julia gasped, hands flying to her mouth. They both stared at Taako, dumbstruck for a long moment, while he stared back. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to say anything or what he would even say so he just let them stare. For several long, long moments. 

“Father,” Julia called. 

One of the workers, a stout but burly man with biceps as wide as Taako’s waist, paused mid-swing to wipe the sweat from his brown and look over at Julia. “Aye?” he called. 

“I’ll be home for the rest of the day,” Julia said, gathering Magnus on her arm and then gesturing at Taako to join them. “Orders are all sorted on the counter. Just have the errand runners grab the ones they need. It’s all set.” 

“Very well,” the man called back. “Just take your time.” 

Julia hooked Taako’s elbow in hers and with Magnus on her other arm, she marched them out the front doors. Taako was only slightly amused by the fact that both he and Magnus were both limping with their heads hung low, and Julia walked sure with her head high.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl I love Julia ;A;


	9. Spooky Movement 9

“Alright, you two,” Julia said, crossing her arms over her chest and staring sternly down Magnus and Taako. “Out with it.” She gestured at Taako. “Why are you here looking like that with those marks? I said out with it.” 

Taako and Magnus were sat side by side on her bed, in her bedroom no less. She had been adamant that the kitchen wouldn’t work if her father happened to walk in. While he wasn’t against male suitors, seeing Julia with two at once would apparently blow his top. Taako had insisted that he didn’t swing that way. Julia said her father wouldn’t care which way he swung. 

So they ended up in the bedroom. 

“I already tried to talk to him,” Taako said, folding his arms over his chest. Now that his shirt was ripped, he had no other way of hiding. He shot a look at Magnus. “But he made it very clear that he didn’t want me here.” 

Julia clicked her tongue. “Magnus?” 

“I _don’t_ want him here,” Magnus said, crossing his own arms over his chest. “I . . . I have you, Julia. I don’t need some soulmate that I’ve never met before.” 

Taako rolled his eyes and pushed himself up. It was undignified having to hobble about with a dumb leg but he hated it even more sitting in front of Julia like a school child. That was even more undignified. Taako hated being undignified. 

“I already explained all of this,” he said. “I didn’t come here to woo you.” He rolled his eyes. “I thought I made that clear enough.” He looked to Julia. “The only reason I came was because there was pain coming across the link, our link, the stupid . . . . _marks_, whatever. It was ruining my life and I came to stop it.” 

It was Julia who looked at Magnus, propping her hands on her hips. “Kalen,” she said. 

Magnus looked up at her sharply, arms still across his chest. “Shut up,” he said. “Julia, this doesn’t concern him.” 

“Obviously it does!” Julia said. She gestured at Taako. “He’s feeling your pain, Magnus! I think this concerns him very much.” 

“Who’s Kalen?” Taako asked. He was feeling more and more behind. “Is he important?” 

Magnus and Julia ignored him for the most part. They were too caught up in their own discussion to pay him any mind. Julia was starting to pace back and forth in front of the bed, worrying the beads in her hair as she thought. Magnus stayed in his seat, looking pleadingly up at her. 

“I had everything under control,” Magnus said. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.” 

“Your leg?” Julia said. She gestured at him. “You come to me bleeding almost every day now, and you tell me that’s under control? Magnus, I know you too well and I have to say things are _out _of control at this point. Far out of control.”

“Someone please tell me what’s going on!” Taako exclaimed. “I’m aware that everything is out of control! What is Kalen?!”

“Kalen is the mayor of Raven’s Roost,” Julia said, finally addressing Taako’s questions. 

“He’s nobody,” Magnus said. “Julia, leave him out of it. You’re as stubborn as your father!” 

Julia collapsed on the bed next to him and grabbed his face in his hands, pulling him into a firm kiss on the lips. “And that’s why you love me,” she said once she finally pulled away. “And that’s why I love you. But, Magnus my dear, you of all people should recognize when being stubborn isn’t a good thing anymore.” 

Magnus sighed and slumped into her touch. His eyes closed and his breath shuddered. 

Taako, on the other hand, was at his wit’s end. He was sore from hauling from the road and travel and tired from all the work. His shirt was ruined, his legs ached, and he had no idea what was going on. All he wanted was to have everything explained to him, plain and simple. 

“Alright,” he said, throwing his hands in the air. “I get that romance is the thing that’s cool with the kids nowadays but please, _please_, I’m begging you, explain to me what’s going on!” 

“Kalen is an evil, _wicked _man,” Julia hissed. 

“He’s our mayor, and you shouldn’t be saying such things,” Magnus said, resting a hand on top of hers. 

“Kalen uses the power he has to hurt people instead of helping them,” Julia said, ignoring Magnus’s interjections. “Ever since he was voted in. I swear it. My father hates him as much as I do.” 

Gods, now they were getting somewhere. Taako wanted to drink in celebration to that petty fact. Did Julia have alcohol? What would be brewed in the craggy rocks of a seaside town? Probably nothing good. Taako was going to have a _very _long drink after this all was over.

“He was elected by the people,” Magnus said, looking between Julia and Taako. “We should respect that.” 

“He hurts you!” Julia exclaimed. 

“Is that it?” Taako said, cutting off their argument before it could derail again. “Kalen’s a big bad dude and that’s why I’ve been living with pain? Because you’re his punching bag on the side?” 

“It’s not as simple as that,” Julia said. 

“It’s nothing that you should involve yourself in,” Magnus said. 

The conversation stopped like that. Magnus and Julia both looked down at their hands, crossed together and resting on the quilt between them. Taako guessed this was an argument that they had had before, many times, and that it always came to a stop here. Taako guessed that, after those points were made, the conversation would be dropped and Magnus and Julia would go about their lives until the conversation was brought up all over again.

The only difference this time though, was that Taako was there to continue the conversation. 

“I think I’m going to half to involve myself,” Taako declared. “Though, I will need a new shirt before all this.” 

Julia immediately jumped up. “You can used one of mine.” 

She rushed to her closet and Taako was left staring awkwardly at Magnus. 

“What I said before was true,” he said. “I’m not . . . I don’t _want _you, not in that way.” Taako wasn’t drunk enough for this conversation. He took a deep breath and pressed on. “Istus sent me. She was the one who sent me all this way. And religious or not, she was right. I want to help if I can.” 

“Ah, Istus,” Julia said, spinning back to them with a shirt draped in her arms. “I’ve talked with a few of her devotees. They seem nice enough.” 

“I still think this isn’t called for,” Magnus said. “Goddess or no, fighting against the mayor is still rebellion. I can’t cause an outburst. I’ll be run out of town!” 

Taako grimaced at the red flannel that Julia handed him. It was hugely oversized since Julia had significantly more muscles than he did, but he would somehow make it work. Red really wasn’t his color though. He pulled off his ruined shirt and tossed it aside, putting on the flannel. He was trying to make it look decent. 

“You won’t be run out of town,” Julia said. “Everyone likes you. I like you.” 

“Yeah, and I can’t limp around the rest of my life,” Taako said.

“Still,” Magnus said, finally pushing himself to his feet. He stood next to Julia, unconsciously grabbing her hand. “Three of us? We can’t do anything. Kalen has twice as many guards around him at any moment.” 

“Wait,” Taako said. “I know someone else who can help.” 

*~* 

They found Merle lost at the bottom of a glass. Well, maybe not lost. He seemed like he knew exactly where he was. He smiled when he saw Taako and then even wider when he saw Julia. 

“My, my, my,” he said. “Taako, you didn’t tell me you were going to make friends while we were here.”

“They are more than friends,” Taako said, sliding into the seat next to Merle. He gestured to Magnus and then to Julia. “Magnus is my soulmate. And Julia’s his girlfriend.” 

“Shut up,” Magnus said as he flagged down a waitress for drinks. “No one is supposed to know.”

Julia nodded. “We don’t tell many people,” she said softly. 

“Merle,” Merle said. He slid his tankard across the table to occupy Magnus until his own drink arrived. “I tagged alone on this whole mess of an adventure because bozo and his boyfriend needed a guide. And because I don’t have any marks of my own.” 

“Curious,” Julia said, looking Merle up and down a second time. “I guess the world really is a mess.” 

"And we're out here trying to solve it," Merle said, moving to toast before remembering he didn't have a drink at the moment. "Does that make us heroes or something?" 

Taako rolled his eyes. “Hardly.” 

The conversation lulled as the waitress returned with a round of drinks for them all. Taako immediately grabbed his and downed half of it right away. Liquid courage, his ass. Magnus, at least, seemed to have the same attitude as him, downing it all in one long go. Merle and Julia were just more reserved, nursing their drinks with moderation. 

“So you found who you were looking for,” Merle finally said. “What are you going to do? Go home?” 

Taako sighed. “It’s a bit more complicated than that.” 

And, with that, under Julia’s supervision, Taako told Merle the story that he knew so far including Magnus, Julia and her father, their shop, and finishing with Governor Kalen. Merle listened to it all quietly, his face completely neutral as Taako talked. Magnus, on the other hand, grimaced with every word that Taako said, sinking lower and lower in his seat and in his drink. By the time Taako was done, Magnus had finished his drink and had commandeered Julia’s as well. 

“Interesting,” was Merle’s final verdict. 

“I told you that you guys don’t have to do anything,” Magnus said. “I know what I’m doing. Having complete strangers show up and try to fix my life. Because it _isn’t _broken.”

“Really, Sherlock?” Taako said. “Because it feels like your leg is broken. And that’s on me too. I came here because I thought you were a klutz and I was just gonna rip you a new one.” He ran a hand through his hair and absentmindedly tugged at it. “I didn’t think it was gonna be this.” 

“Which is why you should just leave,” Magnus said. 

Julia rested a hand on his arm. “I agree with Taako,” she said. “You can’t keep living like this. I hate seeing you limp into the shop. Your arm one week and your leg the next.” She glanced to Taako. “And now you know it isn’t affecting just you.” 

Magnus sighed and dropped his head, staring down at his lap as he thought. Taako, Merle, and Julia were all quiet as well, respectfully letting him think his way through his different options. Taako finished off the last of his drink, but no one dared signal for another round. The waitress seemed to sense the tension at the table and left them alone too. 

“Fine,” Magnus finally said. He pressed his hands against the table as if to steady himself. “I can’t stop you guys. You seem set on doing . . . something. I don’t think I can’t stop you.” 

“You can stop something alright,” Taako said, trying his best to smile encouragingly. He wasn’t used to it. “But I don’t think it’ll be us.” 

Julia placed a hand over Magnus’s, and then they shifted it quietly beneath the table. “Just come with us,” she said. “You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. But please, just . . . come with?” 

“Of course,” Magnus said, leaning ever so slightly in her direction. You would have only noticed if you were watching the whole time and knew what to look for. “Even if it’s just an excuse to spend more time with you.” 

Julia giggled and smiled, quickly covering up with a huge drink from her glass. “Well,” she said. “Now that that’s settled. We can leave this place.” She glanced at Taako. “No offense, but the Stanger’s Inn isn’t the finest place you could have chosen to stay. Even going over a couple pillars and you find better places.” 

“Sue me,” Taako said. “We did what we could.” 

“Let’s go back to my father’s,” Julia said, keeping her voice low. “We can plan more from there.” 

Merle left more than enough gold on the table and they headed out. Julia led the way, with Merle behind her. Taako thought it was awkward that he and Magnus were left alone at the back, but that’s where he ended up. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to say anything after what had been said at the table. He couldn’t think of anything. 

Magnus walked with his head down, hands at his side. Taako could see now, as close as he was, the bulk of a bandage beneath his pants. His shirt was too loose to see if there were more bandages around his stomach, but Taako could still feel the ache of bruises on his own marks. 

“Hey,” he said. God, he sounded like a _straight person_. 

Magnus just grunted. He sounded even more like a straight person. 

“You know this whole soulmate thing,” Taako went on. He rested a hand on his stomach. “I always wanted to believe in it. It just seems so romantic, being connected across space and time and shit. I heard about it ever since I was young and everyone made it sound like such a big deal and when my own marks started showing up, I was so excited.” 

Magnus was walking in silence next to him. 

“And then I met Kravitz,” Taako said. “The guy from before, yeah? I don’t know if you were introduced. I met Kravitz and we just kinda clicked. It was _romantic_ too, and the longer we knew each other the more I forgot about the marks. I thought about them every once in a while but with Kravitz, there wasn’t really any need to. I had Kravitz.” 

“I was the same way,” Magnus said softly. “You always hear about destiny and fate and you always think it’s going to get good and nice. Until it isn’t. I had my own marks, like everyone else in my hometown. We all would whisper about what we would do when we found the person that matched us.” 

They had reached the first bridge now, and Julia stepped confidently out onto the wood. Merle didn’t hesitate much either, and Taako, determined not to be the one to be left behind, sucked up his fear and did his best not to hesitate. Magnus was behind him, almost bored with the whole ordeal. 

“And then I met Julia,” he said, looking forward at the person in question. 

Julia was laughing at something with Merle and her braids were falling down in her face. She had to nearly bend in half just to talk with the dwarf since she was so tall but she somehow managed it. And when she laughed, she straightened and clutched at her stomach and snorted and made a very big deal about it. 

“I think she was like your Kravitz,” Magnus said. “She made me stop believing in soulmates.” 

A sudden gust of wind rocked the rope bridge. It didn’t send it swinging too violently since their weight held it down pretty well, but Taako was still extremely nervous about the ground under his feet moving when it wasn’t supposed to. He let out a squeak of alarm and grabbed for Magnus, latching onto his arm as one of the only sure sources of support. 

Magnus grabbed onto the rope handle, waiting until the bridge had stopped moving before taking another step forward. Taako stayed exactly where he was. 

“Look,” he said, perching himself on Magnus’s arm like he was a trophy bride. “It’s all fun and games to no believe in soulmates, but I’m gonna hold your hand until we get to the other side. M’kay?” 

Magnus snorted and smiled, and Taako was pretty sure it was the first time he had done so since they had met.


	10. Spooky Movement 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gore warning. I wouldn't call it too graphic but it is there, so be careful

“Are we gonna use force?” Merle asked. 

They were back in Julia’s house, sitting around the table. She had provided a map of the town that they spread across the tabletop as well as cups of tea to sober them up after the bar. Not that it was needed, but it was always nice to cradle a warm cup in your hands, especially when you could still hear the waves crashing at the base of the pillars below. 

Julia wrinkled her nose and glanced at Magnus. “I—I don’t think so. It seems a little excessive.” 

“All of it is excessive,” Magnus said. 

After everything, he was still against what they were doing. He wasn’t going to stop them, but the way he sat with his arms crossed over his chest and his chair pushed away from the table, it was obvious that he didn’t really want to help either. He only offered offhand comments about how crazy they were or the plan was. 

Taako was sitting next to him. He had even shifted his chair a bit closer when he had sat down. Despite his size and muscles, Magnus was obviously someone who needed a bit of support. 

“But,” Magnus went on, leaning forward in his chair. He tapped a finger on one of the pillars, to one far side. “He usually hangs out in the Golden Hammer, a diplomatic tavern, around this time. Mostly drinking and meeting with other legislators.” He shrugged when he realized everyone was staring at him in surprise. “I’ve been there.” 

"Okay then!" Taako said, jumping forward. He looked over the pillar that Magnus had pointed out but he didn't understand or recognize half of the names that were written on the buildings. “Let’s just head there. We’ll tell him he’s an ass and to fuck off and we’ll be done with this.” 

“Wasn’t that your plan with Magnus?” Merle asked.

Taako wrinkled his nose. “Well, yeah, but this time it’ll work.” 

“That was your plan coming here?” Julia asked. “Yell at Magnus until he changed?” 

Taako shrugged and took a sip of his tea. “Hey, I didn’t know what was going on. All I knew was that my ass hurt constantly and I wanted that to change. Let’s be real, in my experience, most things aren’t my fault in the first place.” 

“Would Kalen even listen?” Julia said. 

Everyone else fell silent at that, unable to decide if what she was true of if it was even worth disputing. Taako drank his tea until all that was left was the bag that contained the leaves. He listened to the waves for a moment, staring out the window at nothing in particular since he didn't want to look at anyone else who was sitting at the table with him. It wasn't entirely comfortable but also not entirely awkward. It was just that nobody knew what to do. 

"You know what?" Taako said, setting his cup down on the table rather hard. It made Magnus flinch. “I don’t know why we bother sitting around just talking about this. Talking has never done anything, ever. If anything is going to change, we need to walk over there and tell Kalen to his face that he needs to stop.” 

“But we can’t do that,” Julia said. 

Merle nodded, and Magnus crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Yeah?” Taako said. “And why not?” 

He pushed himself up from the table and brushed off the front of his shirt. Or rather, Julia’s shirt. He hadn’t had the chance to grab his own clothes and since Julia was probably twice his size, the shirt hung off him in a way that wasn’t entirely flattering. It had been a while since he had looked so frumpy or butch but hey, there was always a first for everything. If he tucked it halfway into his pants and undid the top buttons and let the sleeves hang loose, it didn’t look half bad and he _definitely _still looked gay. 

“I don’t see what’s stopping us,” Taako said. 

“What’s stopping us is the fact that Kalen could turn around and take his anger back out on Magnus,” Julia said, standing as well and propping her hands on her hips. “And I’m not about to let that happen.” 

Normally, Taako would have been at least a little terrified of someone so obviously stronger than him. But Julia was on the opposite side of the table and Taako still had a clear shot to the front door. If he chose to run, Julia would lose important time and distance that she would need to catch him. If worse came to worse, Taako would have advantage in retreating. 

“Yeah?” he said. “Then we just gotta make sure we kick his ass completely the first time around. He can’t do anything if all his fingers are broken, am I right?” 

“I don’t know if Istus would approve of that,” Merle said. 

“Fuck Istus!” Taako snapped, throwing his hands in the air. “Look, I don’t worship her and I’m not her child or whatever. She chose me, and I didn’t choose her. I don’t owe her anything and if she had a problem with my methods than she shouldn’t have sent me all this way. That seems like a her-problem, nothing to do with me.” 

Merle and Julia were staring at him in surprise at his outburst. Magnus was looking down at his hands. 

“Now,” Taako said. “You all can sit here and talk about the best way to perform surgery on a fucking grape. It’s useless. But I’m going to go kick the teeth of a legislator in. Capish?” 

He spun on his heel and stomped out the door. 

Honestly, it was only half reassuring that he could hear Julia scrambling to follow him. Not that he needed their help, but making an exit dramatic enough that it made people attempt to follow him with speed and urgency. It really helped his self-esteem at the moment. 

“Taako, you can’t do this alone!” Julia yelled. “You’re _insane_! I swear on it. Ya daft idiot too drunk on sea to make sense of the stars!” Apparently, in her anger, she fell heavily back on the local accent as well as all the local sayings. She sounded slightly ridiculous, but she also sounded more than angry. “I’ll wring your neck like a wet rag if I get my hands on you, you landlubber of a fish!” 

Yeah, Taako wasn’t about to stop anytime soon. He liked his neck just the way it was at the moment and would prefer that it stayed that way. He had no idea what Merle or Magnus were doing. They didn’t move as loudly as Julia did and Taako wasn’t about to turn around to check. 

The wind outside had picked up as the sun had started to decline, which meant that the heavy flannel Taako was wearing was definitely needed. While the sky was mostly clear, there were one or two clouds here and there. None of them looked like storm clouds, which mean Taako wasn’t too worried. Still, he crossed his arms over his stomach to conserve his heat a little better and hurried on. 

Julia wasn't making a huge scene anymore. The streets weren’t really full in any way, but she obviously didn’t want to attract any more attention than needed. Attention meant someone could try to stop them. 

Taako reached the first rope bridge and hesitated. He still hadn’t crossed them by himself, but that was apparently about to change. He only had a couple second-lead to Julia and he paused just long enough to take a steadying breath. He closed his eyes and pressed forward. 

Closing his eyes probably wasn’t a good idea. Taako found the rope handle and latched on. With his eyes shut, he couldn’t really see where he was going but he also knew that it was just a straight walk to the other side. The wooden boards beneath his feet weren’t spaced far apart either which meant that he didn’t have to watch his steps. Taako just kept walking. 

He wasn’t sure how far he had made it and he wasn’t about to open his eyes to check, but a huge hand grabbed his arm and spun him around. Taako’s eyes snapped open without his meaning too, and to his surprise, he was face-to-face with Magnus, not Julia, like he thought. 

When he checked his progress, Taako was kinda proud to see he had made it around halfway. When he peeked over Magnus’s shoulder he could see Julia and Merle still waiting anxiously on the side where he had come from. It was just him and Magnus on the bridge.

“What are you doing?” Magnus hissed under his breath, dragging Taako close to his chest. His bulk blocked most of the wind and weather, and his body heat immediately warmed Taako up. 

“Trying to help you,” Taako said, shoving one fist against Magnus’s shoulder. He was even bulkier than Kravitz though, and Taako definitely couldn’t overpower him via strength alone. “Why don’t you let me?” 

“Because it isn’t _just _me,” Magnus said. He glanced briefly over his shoulder at Julia, her hands were wringing the hem of her shirt and she looked worried enough for all of them. Magnus looked back to Taako. “If Kalen finds out about me and Julia, I won’t be the only target. He’s happy right now with me and I want to keep it that way. You take away a dog’s bone, the dog just finds something new to bite.” 

“I get it,” Taako said, still uselessly pushing against Magnus’s hold. 

Magnus just dragged him closer. “No, you don’t.” 

Taako yanked his arm back, managing to take a couple steps in a retreat. “Yes,” he said. “I _do_! Forbidden romance? Death threats? Abuse? I have a fucking boyfriend, I think I know what I’m talking about. The only way to get the bullies to shut up, is to hit them harder than they are hitting you.” 

“You’re going to have to hit Kalen pretty hard then,” Magnus said. 

Taako just smirked. “You think I can’t hit hard?” 

Magnus just glared. “I don’t know you. At all. And I don’t know if I can trust you to hit anything.” 

“Then come with me,” Taako said. “_Help_. Let me tell you right now, hitting the face of someone who’s hit you before is very, _very _satisfying. I could use the help.” 

Magnus stared at him, and Taako stared back. Their eyes were locked and neither of them moving or giving ground. On the far side, Julia and Merle were still watching, probably not wanting to join them on the bridge for risk of a struggle causing too much stress on the ropes. Really, with the distance that they were over the water, a struggle would be the worst thing that could happen. Magnus's grip on Taako's arm hadn't wavered, but neither had Taako's resolve. 

It was Magnus who cracked first, eyes watery and red and his voice shaking with nerves. "I've never done anything like this," he admitted. 

Taako just shrugged and placed his free hand over where Magnus was still holding his arm. "I'm glad to be your first then," he said. 

Magnus glared at him and coughed and then let go of him with one hand to rub at his face. Like he was about to cry but didn’t want to. Taako, at very least, could relate to that. Two idiots who didn’t want to show their emotions—maybe the marks knew something he didn’t. 

“Fine,” Magnus said. He glanced over at Julia who had her hands over her mouth now. His jaw tightened, and then he shoved Taako towards the opposite side of the bridge. “Go,” he muttered under his breath. “Go. _Now. Go_!” 

Taako was already giggling as he turned and continued running along the bridge. It was much less scary with Magnus right behind him, and the fall and drop to the water wasn’t as terrifying with someone else. They were across and back to safety before Taako could overthink the fact that he could die at any moment. 

As soon as their feet hit solid ground, Magnus surged forward, taking the lead and pulling Taako along in his wake. He knew the town better than Taako did, so Taako let him lead. He knew the fastest routes and how to get where they were going. He slipped into side alleys and squeezed past carts and barrels and finally pulled Taako to a stop in a small space behind one spot in particular. 

He pressed a huge hand against Taako’s chest, pushing him back against the wood of the building. Damn, if Taako didn’t know any better he would say this was a proposition. 

“Sshh,” Magnus said, apparently not noticing the way Taako nearly collapsed under his touch. He jerked his chin at the building Taako was leaning against. “This is it.” 

Taako immediately forgot about the fantasies that his brain was churning out and straightened to attention. “Kalen?” he said. 

Magnus was chewing on his bottom lip but he nodded. 

“He’s just inside,” he said. "He'll be there with his friends, drinking until the sun goes down. They usually stay late, even later if they have . . . entertainment."

"Easy, big guy," Taako said, placing his own, significantly smaller hand on Magnus's chest. "You aren't alone this time." He smiled his best reassuring smile. "You've got your soulmate." 

Magnus laughed but he also rolled his eyes. "I hate you," he said. "I had everything under control before you showed up."

Taako just smirked. “I thought the same thing about Istus and look where I am now. You can hate me all you want thought. You don’t have to love the starfish to save it.” 

Magnus just wrinkled his nose. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“Hardly anybody ever does,” Taako said and then pushed Magnus’s hand off his chest. “Now come on. We’ve come this far. And I think we want to get inside before Julia and Merle show up to stop us. Or ruin the plan. I can see it going both ways.” 

Magnus gritted his teeth but nodded. 

Taako slipped out of the alley way and to the front of the bar, taking a moment to look up at the carved wooden sign painted with yellow paint and proudly naming the establishment the Golden Hammer. Carved into the door of the building was a woman dressed in tight clothing, skinny and delicate but hoisting an oversized hammer over her shoulder while she beamed at whoever walked inside. It was tacky and gaudy, and Taako could definitely see it as a place that politicians hung out.

“Nice,” he said. He brushed down the front of Julia’s shirt, wishing he had something better to wear when he walked into such a place. At least he would blend in with the local crowd, though Taako normally hated blending in. 

“Careful,” Magnus said, falling into step behind him as he pushed through the front doors. 

The main area of the bar was like every other that Taako had seen—wide open, circular tables dotted here and there, patrons taking their drinks and food and chatting with friends. A huge bar run by three different tenders stretched the entire length of one side of the room. A burly half-orc woman was mixing drinks, a lithe elf was next to her preparing appetizers and snacks, and at the far end a normal human was making change for patrons. 

Taako headed immediately for the bar with Magnus hovering close behind him.

“Hey, sweetheart, I’m gonna need the strong stuff,” he said, propping himself on the counter. He tossed down his gold coins. “Make it two of them.” 

The elf scooped up his money with a nod and a smile and grabbed two stout glasses from under the counter. With a snap of her fingers, she filled them with ice and then turned to grab a bottle off the top shelf. She had to go up on the tips of her toes which, as an elf, was definitely saying something about the quality of alcohol Taako was getting. She poured two glasses full and pushed them over to Taako with a smile. 

He nodded and pushed one over to Magnus, taking the other for himself. He took a sip, grateful, at least, that it was top quality. 

Magnus, on the other hand, didn’t seem to know what to do with himself. Like he wasn’t used to sitting at the bar, drinking nice quality alcohol, like a normal person. He shifted the glass from one hand to the other, before finally picking it up and taking a drink. He looked surprised and then quickly gulped down more. 

“Easy, my dude,” Taako said. “We just want a little courage. Don’t need the whole damn bottle.” 

Magnus was already at the ice cubes though, gasping as he caught his breath. His cheeks were already flushed slightly, and he looked more than a little amazed at what he had just experienced. Taako threw down a couple more coins and the bartender refilled Magnus’s glass with a flirtatious wink. Magnus didn’t seem to notice. 

“Thanks,” he said. “I never. . . . I just never been _here_.” 

“Well, hold your horses then,” Taako said. “Cuz you’re gonna have to be sober enough to show me which room that Kalen is in.” 

Magnus shuddered at the mention of the politician and immediately gulped down his second glass. He set it down on the counter softly, and this time Taako didn’t pay to refill it. He set a hand on Magnus’s back instead. It was awkward because he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to rub or pat or just let it sit there. He wasn’t an expert in comforting people.

He didn’t say anything at least, since every time he spoke, he seemed to make things worse. So they sat in silence for a moment, until Taako finished his drink too. 

“Okay,” Magnus finally said. “I think I’m ready. He’s upstairs in the king suite. I can get us past the guard at the stairs.” 

Taako leaned back from his seat and looked across the room, immediately spotting the burly armed half-elf standing at the base of the stairs on the far side of the room. They looked like they meant business with buzzed hair, buff arms crossed over their chest, and twin swords on both of their hips. And they looked like they would 100% attack anyone who tried to approach the stairs without permission.

Taako nodded and pushed himself off his feet. “Let’s go then,” he said. “Just tell them I’m your twink friend and I’m sure they’ll let me through.” 

Magnus just nodded, apparently done with talking as his nerves took over and he stood too. He started across the room silently, and Taako didn’t even get the chance to grab his hand in support. He was left to walk behind Magnus, in his shadow but maybe that was better than the other options. 

“Hey,” Magnus said, ducking his head to avoid eye contact with the half-elf. “Um, Kalen said he wanted me.” 

Taako wanted to step in front of him and get up in the face of the guard and tell him just how sick and twisted the people they were protecting were. He wanted Magnus to walk in his shadow so he wouldn’t have to be the center of attention anymore. But this wasn’t Taako’s area of expertise and he guessed keeping his mouth shut would be the best choice at this moment. 

“And who’s your friend?” the half-elf asked. Fuck, now that they were this close, Taako could see how big their biceps actually were. Absolutely massive. 

“A friend that Kalen wants,” Magnus said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He looked smaller than Taako had ever seen him look. “I was supposed to bring him . . . with me.” 

The half-elf looked Taako up and down and then sniffed disinterestedly. “Alright then,” they said and then stepped aside to give them access to the stairs. 

Magnus stepped passed without making eye contact, but Taako made the mistake of looking up as he walked passed. He and the half-elf locked eyes. He was forced to stop then, just because it was a challenge and he didn’t want to back down from a challenge. The half-elf raised an eyebrow, one of their hands moving down to rest on the hilt of their sword. Taako took the hint, offered a shaky smile and then ducked his head like Magnus had, hurrying passed.

The stairwell was tiny, for a supposedly nice establishment. No windows and only a lantern or two kept it dark as well. Taako just stuck as close as he could to Magnus without stepping on his toes and tried to go as fast as possible. 

The second floor was just a single hallway. Well, not _just _a hallway, but it was the only part that Taako could see. Several doors lined either side of it, but they were all closed with no light visible underneath for any of them. There were more lanterns at least, well-lit but also smoky. Not the good kind of smoke either but the kind that came from pipes that burned your lungs and made you cough when you didn’t want to. Taako wrinkled his nose against the smell. 

Magnus didn't seem affected. He walked straight down the hall, past several doors that he completely ignored until he stopped in front of one near the very end. His shoulders were still hunched, but now that he wasn't moving, Taako had the chance the rest a hand on his arm to show his support. 

"Do you want me to go first?" he asked. 

Magnus shrugged and then nodded and then shook his head. He shrugged again. 

“Here,” Taako said, reaching forward and twisting the doorknob. 

The door opened on well-oiled hinges without a noise. Still, the movement alone was enough to make everyone in the room turn and stare at them. All conversation stopped just as suddenly, since it was obvious that the group of old men hadn’t been expecting any visitors. 

The room was filled with even more smoke than the hallway. Combine that with the sober decor of animal heads on the walls and heavy wooden furniture, and the room was dark and grim. Fat cigars sat in most of the men’s hands which accounted for the smoke, and the fact that they were all men accounted for the decor. Taako almost rolled his eyes at the insecurity of the whole room, but it was obvious Magnus didn’t feel the same way and Taako didn’t want to make light of that. 

It was silent for several long moments as they all assessed each other. 

“Magnus,” one man finally said, pushing himself up out of his seat. 

It took effort. The man was huge but not like Magnus was huge. Yes, he was tall and broad shouldered but he had a gut to rival a bear. His fine suit that denoted him as a politician was stretched over his obvious sign of gluttony. In one hand he held one of those disgusting cigars. In the other, he held a glass with some sort of fine, brown alcohol. He looked like he lived an extravagant life and knew it.

That must be Kalen.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, looking past Taako at Magnus. “I don’t remember summoning you here. You know these meetings are private even for . . . people like you.” 

Taako didn’t even have to look over his shoulder to know that Magnus shrunk under the words, and for some reason, that was the last straw for Taako. He squared his shoulders back and stepped forward. He felt powerful wearing flannel in front of all these well-dressed high-powered snobs. It made him feel like the working class was revolting. 

Not that Taako was working class. 

“Listen here, bub,” he said, jabbing a finger at Kalen. “You’re an ass.” 

That seemed to jolt all the men out of their stupor. They scowled at Taako’s words and muttered amongst themselves at the insubordination. They shifted uneasily in their seats, taking sips of drinks or puffs of smoke. They looked back and forth from Magnus and Taako to Kalen and back again, and the sides were obviously picked. 

“Excuse me,” Kalen said, raising an eyebrow at Taako’s exclamation. “I don’t think I was talking to you.” 

“Yeah, I’m funny like that,” Taako said. “I’m here to tell you you’re an ass and that you can suck Istus’s dick before I would ever give you an _ounce _of respect. Okay?” 

Kalen’s jaw visibly tightened and he set his drink down with a hard snap. His hard gaze leveled with Taako’s just for a moment before he looked past him. “Magnus,” he said, putting so much power and control into that single word that it was more like a bark. “Who is this? Why did you bring him here?” 

Taako was going to retort to that with a snappy remark about Kalen’s weight, but a heavy hand settled on his shoulder and pulled him back. 

“He’s my soulmate,” Magnus said, stepping between Kalen and Taako. He stood a bit taller than before, not at his full height but he wasn’t cowering completely anymore. 

Kalen looked more confused than anything. He looked between Taako and Magnus and then finally burst out laughing, tipping his head back as his entire body shook with his humor. He shook so hard that the ash fell from his cigar and since it had burned down quite a bit since being ignored, it showered his feet in ash. 

“Now that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard,” he said, once he recovered. “Truly, the funniest thing. Magnus, where did you find this idiot?” 

“Not an idiot,” Taako snapped, but Magnus’s hand on his shoulder tightened. 

“He came because his marks were concerning,” Magnus said, keeping his voice surprisingly steady. “I guess all those bruises weren’t as unnoticeable as you thought, huh?” 

Kalen’s amusement turned to anger as Magnus spoke, and his smile deepened into a scowl. He ground the end of his cigar into an ashtray to put it out and then he turned to give Magnus his full attention. If he wasn’t so overweight, he might look more intimidating, but knowing the power he had over the people of the town was threatening enough. When he spoke, his voice was a low growl.

“I don’t like what you’re implying, Magnus,” he said. “Where’s all this coming from so suddenly? You don’t like the little arrangement we have? Because if you don’t, I can make sure you’re on the next ride out of town, since I can make sure you won’t be able to find any sort of work within miles.” 

“And I’m sick of being underneath your boot,” Magnus said. “I don’t care about work. You’ve done nothing for me with your little arrangement and I _am _sick of it!”

“Oh shit,” Taako said softly, covering his mouth with his hand. He was giddy being able to see drama happening in real time this close. But it seemed like Magnus had this handled and Taako would only intervene if any of the other men decided to make a move.

“It’s no longer just affecting just me,” Magnus said. “And I can deal with you just fine. I’m strong enough for that, you weak bitch. But I’m not about to let someone else get hurt when I am perfectly capable of protecting them. So if you don’t keep your hands to yourself, I’ll make sure you don’t have any hands to do anything with.” 

Kalen had just gotten angrier and angrier the more Magnus talked and by the end, his hands were in fists and it looked like he was going to grind his teeth to dust. Yeah he was overweight, but he still had the strength of a man his size. Combine that with anger, and it was never a good sign. 

“How dare you,” he snarled. “How _dare _you come into _my office_ to speak like that to _my face_, Magnus _Burnsides_. I’ve given you a job. I’ve given you a home. I’ve kept the debtors off your back and kept food on your table, and this is how you repay me? Coming into my office to tell me that you are ungrateful for all of that?” He chuckled darkly. “That is a fine mistake, boy.” 

Magnus flinched at the words, but he glared back at Kalen, not ready to retreat just yet. “You gave me all that with a couple of your fists too, and I’m sick of it. You hear me, Kalen? I’m done. I don’t care about it anymore and I don’t care about you.” 

Kalen snarled like an animal, looking less and less human by the moment. He spun and grabbed the sheath of a sword that sat next to his chair. He ripped the blade open and turned on Magnus. 

Taako squeaked in alarm and ducked behind Magnus’s bulk. He hadn’t expected things to go _this _south, and he hadn’t considered that Kalen might be armed.

Magnus, on the other hand, was hardly shaken. He spun and grabbed at another sword strapped to the hip of one of the men sitting nearby. He yanked, but the sheath was threaded into the man’s belt and stuck fast. The man yelled in alarm at being manhandled, but Kalen was already surging forward. 

For a man of his size, he moved fast. He crossed the space between himself and Magnus in four long strides, roaring in anger and raising the sword to strike. 

Taako wasn’t about to throw himself in front of a blade and in his panic, he couldn’t remember any spells that might do them any good. Magnus was still struggling with the stuck sword, looking between Kalen and the man shoving against his hands in a panic. The sword still didn’t come free.

With a heave, Magnus dragged the man up along with the sword, shoving him between himself and Kalen. 

Kalen was either too blind with rage or had too much momentum to stop. The sword skewered the man through the chest with a wet thud. Magnus grunted against the weight that had been put behind the blow but managed to hold the man far enough away from himself so that even though the sword protruded out of the man’s chest, it still hadn’t reached Magnus. 

The man’s eyes were wide with alarm, and he stopped trying to push Magnus away and instead began groping at the blade, cutting his hands on the edge. He gurgled but was definitely too far gone for all but the most advanced magic. Definitely not within Taako’s abilities. 

Kalen didn’t seem to care. With a wrench, he tore his sword away, the man coming along with it. Magnus, at least, managed to keep a hold on the hilt of the sword and with Kalen’s strength, the man’s belt snapped and the weapon came free. Taako wouldn’t necessarily call it a fair fight now, but at least Magnus and Kalen were both armed. 

All the other men were yelling in panic now, gathering their own belongs, coats, and swords. Some were already trying to run out the door, others were looking for more obscure exits, only one had crouched down to check on the man who had been stabbed and that was only to riffle quickly through his pockets. It was every man for himself it seemed.

“You’ll regret the day you grew a spine,” Kalen growled at Magnus, circled him like a savage dog. “You pathetic whelp! The only thing you were ever good for was being a sandbag at the end of a hard day. And even then you couldn’t even keep your mouth shut.” He spared a scowled at Taako. 

“This is between you and me, you fucker,” Magnus said. He spread his hands wide in an invitation to attack. “If you want to have fun, kill me like you’ve always wanted to do.” 

Kalen scowled and then lunged again with a grunt of effort. 

The chairs and couches and end tables made for an awkward battleground. Magnus staggered away from Kalen’s swipes, struggling to find a sure footing and raise the sword to defend himself at the same time. Kalen definitely knew what he was doing, but he was reckless in his blind rage and swung too wildly most of the time.

Taako just tucked himself into a corner and tried not to get trampled under the mass exit of the other politicians. He craned his neck to keep track of the fight but it was hard in the chaos. He didn’t have the means or the guts to cast any sort of spell, and hitting Magnus by accident was the last thing he wanted to do. 

“You insignificant worm,” Kalen was saying, punctuating each insult with a swipe of his sword. “Pathetic! The only reason I kept you around was because you were too _stupid _to leave. And now you’re too _stupid _to know your place.” 

“Kill me then,” Magnus said, dodging most of the attacks and managing to parry the ones that he couldn’t. “Kill me, if you can, but I think you’re more pathetic than me.” 

“Oh fuck, wait,” Taako said. If he felt all of Magnus’s pain so far, he didn’t want to figure out what Magnus dying felt like. “Maybe not kill, mkay?” 

His protests were mostly drowned out by the clang of the sword blades. Magnus and Kalen exchanged blows more often than not, and while it was pretty obvious Magnus was unskilled, he held his own. Perhaps it was only because Kalen was so angry, but Magnus hadn’t even been hit once. 

“You bitch!” Kalen snarled. Their swords connected, and he used the chance to shove Magnus back.

Magnus tripped over some discarded bag and ended up on his ass, sprawled across the floor. He had kept a hold of his sword, but he was now at a distinct disadvantage. Kalen loomed over him, triumph finally twisting his snarl into a cruel smile. He was out of breath and sweating outrageously but ready to hold his victory over Magnus.

“I guess this really is where you belong,” he said. “At my feet, cowering, exactly where you’re supposed to be.” 

He swung at Magnus to punctuate the threat, and Magnus just barely managed to bring his sword up to block it. With Kalen looming over him so close, he didn’t have room to roll to his feet. His panic was back now, raw terror in his eyes and he clung to sword double-handed, keeping in between him and Kalen as his only defense.

“See, Magnus?” Kalen with a laugh, brushing his sweaty hair out of his face. “This is the difference between me and you. I’m on the top and you’re on the bottom. It’s the way of things, get it? I know my place. You should know yours.” 

“Yeah, it’s all fun and games when you’re on top, isn’t it?” Taako said, finally managing to push himself to his feet. All the other men were gone now. The only people left were Magnus, Kalen, and himself. “When you’re on top, you don’t want anything to change, ever.” 

“Shut up,” Kalen snapped at him, not even sparing him a glance as he glared down at Magnus still. “You’re next once I deal with this idiot.” 

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Taako said. 

Maybe it was the flannel he was wearing. Maybe it was seeing someone he was connected to in danger. Maybe it was Istus, at the back of his mind, telling him what to do. Taako was going to rule out that last one. For whatever reason it was, Taako was strong enough and brave enough to step forward and shove Kalen as hard as he could. 

It was always a mistake to not look at him. 

Kalen grunted in surprise as he suddenly lost his balance and flailed as he fell forward. He probably would have stayed on his feet if not for a puddle of melting ice that had been spilled in the mass get away. Kalen stepped hard on one cube and somehow that was enough to send him down. 

He toppled forward, onto Magnus, and they both grunted at the impact. 

“Oh my god,” Magnus said. “Oh my god.” 

Taako wasn’t sure what was going on until he realized that Kalen had fallen forward onto Magnus’s blade, burying it deep in his own stomach by accident. It wasn’t a killing blow by any means due to Kalen’s oversized stomach, but it was the first blood of the fight and it was in Magnus’s favor. 

“Bitch,” Kalen wheezed. “I’ll make sure everyone you know and love suffers.” 

Magnus scowled and twisted his whole body, the sword along with it. He and Kalen rolled and thankfully there was enough room for a tousle or else Magnus wouldn’t have been able to end up on top. He wrestled Kalen’s sword away and threw it out of reach, baring his teeth in victory as he finally had the advantage. 

Taako shrank back at the sudden ferocity, not that he was going to intervene, but this was the first time Magnus looked completely and truly angry. 

“Who’s the idiot?” Magnus said, panting at the effort of the whole fight so far. “Who’s the bitch? You’ve kept me under your thumb for way too long, Kalen, and I’ve had _enough_.” 

With a grunt, he pulled the sword out of Kalen’s stomach and brought it above his head. He didn’t even hesitate before bringing it down higher and with more force than before. The sword sunk into Kalen’s chest, slightly to one side but even his fat couldn’t save him this time. He coughed in pain and surprise as Magnus pulled the sword free and brought it down again. 

And again. 

And again. 

And again. 

And again.

Magnus drove the sword down harder and harder, even when Kalen’s eyes rolled back and when dark. The blood quickly soaked through his shirt and jacket and then into Magnus’s pants where he still straddled Kalen’s body. Magnus kept going until the front of Kalen’s chest looked like shredded beef with fabric that got in the way. 

Taako let him do it, watching silently until Magnus sat back, out of breath and crying and smiling and shaking all at once. His arms all the way up to his elbows were covered in gore and blood, but he just sat there, staring down at what he had just done. 

“Easy, easy,” Taako said softly. “I think you got him, dude.” 

Magnus didn’t respond. He was laughing now too, giggling but still crying and not bothering to wipe anything away. Taako eased to his side, careful not to surprise him. As soon as he laid a hand on Magnus’s shoulder, the sword tumbled out of his hand, and Taako took that as a sign that everything was done now. 

“You did it,” he said as he looped Magnus’s arm over his shoulder. It was a good thing he wasn’t wearing his own clothes because blood was already hard to get out. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” 

Magnus recovered from his laughing fit and was just crying now but he cleared his throat and brought his hand up to pat Taako on the chest, leaving a bloody smear. “You’re welcome,” he said. “I . . . you’re welcome.” 

Taako just smiled and patted him back. “Thank you.”


	11. Spooky Movement 11

“I’m really worried about him,” Julia said.

Taako had successfully gotten Magnus out of the Golden Hammer with only a couple looks and nobody stopping him. Taako had glared at anyone who had even glanced in their direction. He had lugged Magnus all the way back, braving the rope bridges on his own and finding Julia fretting back at her house with Merle desperately trying to calm her down. 

With her help, Taako got Magnus up the stairs and into her bed where he was now laying. Taako had washed up, got a new flannel shirt from Julia’s shirts, and was pulling himself together over a cup of tea. Not that he had much to pull together. 

“He’ll be fine,” Taako said. He hadn’t told Julia all that had happened, just that Magnus had taken care of everything. Still, Magnus had come home covered in blood. Julia worried. 

“I’m going to go clean him up the best I can,” Julia said, wiping her hands on the front of her shirt and hurrying out of the kitchen.

Taako and Merle were left to stare at each other across the table. 

“You’ve got guts,” Merle said, being the first one to break the silence. “I’ll give you that.” 

“Magnus is the one with the guts,” Taako said. “I just got us to the room. He did . . . everything else.” He looked down at his tea and just stared for a moment. “If I tell you . . . will you promise not to tell Julia?” he asked. “It’s just, I think Magnus should be the one to tell her, not someone else.” 

“Of course,” Merle said. His usual nonsensical attitude had been dropped and he was all business now. He sat with his own cup of tea and didn’t talk or try to make conversation unless someone talked to him first. 

“Kalen was in his room just like Magnus said he would be,” Taako said, not sure where to start the story since Merle had been there for most of it. “With all his political friends or whatever. I didn’t know who they were. I knocked. They opened the door. Magnus and Kalen yelled at each other and then . . .” Taako wasn’t sure how he should say it. Not murder, not self-defense, emotionless enough to be called slaughter. Kalen had been an animal. “Kalen attacked. He was armed and we didn’t plan for that.” 

Taako stopped there because he still hadn’t decided what to say next. Merle waited patiently, even drinking his tea quietly so Taako could think in silence. 

“Magnus grabbed a sword too,” Taako said. “To protect me. Everyone else ran. Magnus . . . . took care of Kalen. He won’t be a problem anymore. He’s . . . . gone.” 

“I think that’s a good thing,” Merle said. “Julia was saying not many people liked him. I’m not sure how the town will react to his death, but I don’t think he was well-loved.” 

Taako snorted. “He didn’t act like it.” 

The stairs creaked, and both Merle and Taako shut up before Julia could accidentally hear their conversation. It was a little awkward when she walked into a completely silent kitchen, but Taako was almost positive she hadn’t heard anything. 

“He’s awake,” she said quietly, settling in the doorway of the stairs. “Um . . . he said he wanted to talk to you, Taako.” 

Taako jumped to his feet, maybe a little too eagerly, and then felt bad. “Sorry,” he said. 

Julia quickly shook her head. “No, no, it’s alright.” She stepped out of his way and hurried to the cupboards, already rummaging around the carefully wrapped parcels. “I was going to make him something to eat anyway.” 

Her back was to him, but Taako nodded anyway. Then, taking his cup of tea with him, he walked up the stairs to Julia’s bedroom. 

He wasn’t sure what to expect. Maybe Magnus would be exhausted and still barely awake, only coherent enough to say a couple words. Maybe Magnus would be completely awake and okay again. Taako wasn’t the best with emotional comfort so hopefully Magnus was completely awake. And also not a blubbering mess. Taako didn’t do well with tears.

When he pushed through the doors, Taako was relieved to see Magnus sitting up on the edge of the bed, head in his hands, not crying, but definitely lost in thought. Taako knocked on the frame of the door to announce his presence and waited to enter until Magnus looked up and saw him. 

“Hey,” he said and then wasn’t sure what else he was supposed to say so he held out his cup of tea that he had only half-finished. It was still warm. “I brought tea.” 

Magnus accepted it but just held it in his lap. He was still staring down at his feet, and Taako could see the lines of blood that were still wedged under his nails. Other than that, Julia had done a good job cleaning him up.

“Julia said you wanted me,” he finally said, since the silence was making his skin itch. “How do you feel?” 

Magnus snorted a laugh but still didn’t look up. “How do _you _feel?” 

Taako blinked in surprise and was going to brush the question off until he realized that Magnus had a point. He hadn’t felt any pain since the encounter. Sure, the old aches were there but nothing new. Taako hadn’t felt this good in a while, and he had forgotten what it was like to not pass out from pain at some point every day. He felt _good_. And he hoped that that meant Magnus felt good too.

“I feel good,” he said. “I feel _great_. Does that mean you feel great too?” 

Magnus took a huge breath and finally looked up. He was smiling. His eyes were a bit red from crying but he was smiling wide. “I feel amazing,” he said. He then looked down at the cup of tea again. “A part of me feels like I should regret what I did. But then . . . most of me doesn’t care at all.” 

“You did something amazing,” Taako said, smiling along with Magnus. “You shouldn’t regret anything.” 

“I keep thinking about it,” Magnus admitted. “How it felt. All I can think about it how I thought it would take . . . . _more_. I expected something . . . _un-human _underneath his clothes but the sword went through him so easily. Just like anyone else. I don’t know, I was just surprised.” 

“Shitty people are still people,” Taako said with a shrug. “Underneath everything they try to put on top of themselves.” 

Magnus nodded and took a huge gulp of tea. “I haven’t told Julia,” he said. “But I think she knows. I mean, we _were _kind of covered in blood.” 

“You mean, _you _were covered in blood,” Taako said with a laugh. “I was fine until you got your hands all over me.” 

Magnus was laughing too then, and they both decided not to think about what happened for a moment. Magnus finished off the rest of the tea and then pushed himself to his feet. He wavered a bit but kept his balance. Taako almost offered help, but Magnus looked proud of the fact that he was standing on his own.

Taako stepped out of the way to let Magnus go down the stairs first, following after him and letting him take the spotlight of being the first person to reenter the kitchen. Julia, who had been tending a pot over the cooking fire, jumped to her feet and hurried to his side. She immediately offered him an arm, and while Taako was pretty sure Magnus didn’t need it, he still leaned on her appreciatively. 

“If I thought you were going to get up, I would have stayed and helped you,” she said, walking him over to the table and pulling him out a seat. 

Magnus settled in it heavily but smiled, patting her hand until she pulled away. “I told you, I’m fine. I just needed a little rest.” 

“I’m almost done with this,” Julia said, returning to the spot next to the stove. “You need something to eat. Before you throw up.” 

Taako almost laughed again because she sounded almost exactly like Kravitz did. And then Taako jolted upright in a panic, suddenly--stupidly--remembering that they had come here with someone else who was still missing. 

“Oh, fuck,” he blurted out loud. “I have to go!” 

“Are you sure?” Julia asked. “I can make enough for all of us.” 

“No, thank you,” Taako said, already scrambling for anything that he might have left around Julia’s place. “I need to get back to the Stranger’s Inn! There’s someone waiting for me. And I almost forgot.” 

“Kravitz,” Magnus said. 

Taako didn’t even wait to see if Magnus was going to say anything else. He ran out the door, turned down the street, and took off. He knew the town well enough now that he wasn’t lost and knew which turns to take. He sprinted across the rope bridges, in too much of a hurry to be scared now. He arrived at the Stranger’s Inn frazzled and out of breath. 

He burst through the front doors, earning several glares from patrons settling down to drinks and meals. Taako didn’t have time for them. He ran up the stairs, finding the door to the room he was still paying for and bursting inside. 

It was exactly how he had left it, clothes scattered about and the bed unmade. It looked like he had lived there for a while, alone, since Kravitz didn’t make a habit of making it seem like he lived anywhere. It was all Taako all over the room, and he had to admit, it hurt more than he wanted to admit. Taako shut the door behind him, stepping into the middle of the room. 

He wasn’t sure why he expected Kravitz to be here. It was just the last place he had seen him, and his object permanence needed work. 

“Kravitz?” he called to the empty air. “Kravitz, I did it. You would have been so proud of me. I _did it_. So, uh, you can come back and tell me I did a good job now. I’m ready.” 

The room was quiet if he didn’t speak. Too quiet. It felt horrible just standing in an empty, quiet room, and it was only a few seconds before Taako was talking again to fill all the open space. 

“It was really cool,” he said. “You should have been there. Magnus was amazing. Kalen isn’t going to be hurting anyone anytime soon. Magnus protected me and it was almost like you were there, but it was Magnus and he was the one who protected me and not you. He kinda tore Kalen’s chest apart. It was amazing. That old motherfucker didn’t think Magnus could do it, but he did and everyone’s laughing at him now.” 

Taako knew he was rambling but he couldn’t stop. Stopping meant having to sit in silence and having to think. If he had to think, Taako was just going to think about what would happen if Kravitz didn’t show up and Taako would have to go back home with Merle. He was gonna think about how selfish he had been and how Kravitz was disappointed in him. Never angry, just disappointed. 

“I only doubted you for a moment, you know.” 

Taako spun around and couldn’t help but smile at Kravitz standing near the doorway. He looked the exact same as he had when he left but more human and less skeleton. He looked happy and proud, and he opened his arms in an invitation to Taako. 

Taako threw himself into them. 

“You shouldn’t have doubted,” he said. “I just needed a kick in the ass.” 

“And I knew I had to be that kick in the ass,” Kravitz teased. “Now, tell me everything.” 

Taako did, and unlike with Julia, he spared no detail. He told him about Julia and how much she loved Magnus. He told Kravitz about Magnus and Kalen and how the governor had treated him. He told him about the Golden Hammer and the meeting of politicians. He told Kravitz about how the shouting had escalated until Kalen had grabbed a sword, and Taako talked about the man that Kalen had killed without blinking an eye. He talked about the sword fight, making it sound just like the fight for power that it was. He downplayed his own actions, making it so that Magnus was the hero of this one. He told Kravitz how Magnus had ripped open Kalen’s chest and how brave and strong and amazing it was. 

“That sounds like it was perfect,” Kravitz said, holding Taako in his arms.

“It was, I think,” Taako said. “I love you, but Magnus was definitely perfect.” 

“I’m glad everything worked out,” Kravitz said and pressed a kiss to his temple. “Should we go see them?” 

Taako shrugged. “Do you _want_ to see them?” 

“I don’t need to,” Kravitz said. “But I can go if you want.” 

Taako thought for a moment. "We don't need to," he said, but Kravitz suddenly cut him off. 

"Oh, Merle!" he said. "We can't leave without him." 

Taako desperately wanted to disagree with that because now that he was back in Kravitz's arms he realized just how much he missed it. He wanted to be alone with Kravitz and maybe even leave this place before people connected his actions to him. But Kravitz was way too polite and conscientious like that. _Of course_ he remembered Merle. _Of course _he couldn't leave the dwarf behind. _Of course_ he wanted to go back and make sure everyone was okay.

"He's back with Magnus and Julia," Taako said. "Oh fuck, have you met Julia?" 

Kravitz shook his head, and Taako took his hand to pull him out the door. "You'd love her, I swear. I guess we can go back to make sure they're okay. And to get Merle." 

Kravitz laughed at his reluctance and pulled him close enough so they could walk arm-in-arm. With Kravitz by his side, Taako didn’t care about walking back through the lower level of the inn through the stares of patrons who recognized him. He wouldn’t care if he was alone either, but having Kravitz finally back next to him was nice.

Since they weren’t running, it took longer to get back to Julia’s house but they made it eventually. Taako didn’t bother knocking. He just pushed through the front door and into the kitchen. 

Magnus was eating at the table, curled protectively around the bowl of whatever food Julia had prepared. Merle was sitting on the opposite end, apparently giving him room, while Julia was sitting next to him, holding his arm and resting her head on his shoulder, eyes closed. She sat up when Taako and Kravitz walked through the front door though, apparently still on high alert. 

“Oh,” she said, when she realized it was just Taako. 

“This is my boyfriend,” Taako said, pulling Kravitz in behind him. “He was here before and had to leave. He also was kinda the whole reason I came here in the first place.” He laughed embarrassed. “Not to take the spotlight off of me, ya know.” 

Julia placed a hand on Magnus’s shoulder to keep him down while she stood instead, offering a hand to Kravitz and pulling him into a hug instead settling with a handshake. Kravitz stiffened in surprise at the touch but then realized that Julia meant no harm and hugged her back just as hard. Taako and Magnus shared an awkward look, waiting a long moment before Julia and Kravitz broke apart. 

“I’m glad you came back,” Julia admitted, brushing her hair out of her eyes and she stepped back to Magnus’s side. “You know you ran off so fast, we didn’t even get to say goodbye.” 

“I thought I would try to make things less awkward,” Taako said. “It’s easier than a messy goodbye.” 

“Taako told me what happened,” Kravitz said, now addressing Magnus where he still sat eating. “He said you were very brave and even if he doesn’t admit it, he’s as proud of you as I am of him.” 

Magnus just shrugged, his mouth too full to respond right away. He chewed and then swallowed, giving Taako a look that Taako couldn’t decide was good or not. “He didn’t say that,” he said. “But I figured that was true.”

“Oh come on,” Taako said. “I thought I was gonna get out of this without a fucking emotional moment, but you two had to go and ruin it. You should know I’m not good with this type of stuff.” He stuck his tongue out at Magnus and crossed his arms over his chest. “Fuck both of you.” 

Magnus laughed, and Julia was looking at him like he had put the sun in the sky. Her hand was resting on his shoulder, and he looked the most relaxed Taako had ever seen since knowing him. There was such an obvious change in his body language that Taako couldn’t help but be happy even though he wanted to be pissed. 

“Look, before this gets too nasty,” Taako said. “We just came back to get Merle. Didn’t want to leave without him right. So now we can take him and we can let you guys be all_ in love._” 

“You’re sure you’ll be okay if we leave?” Kravitz said, ignoring the way Taako was now trying to literally push him out the door. “With Kalen and his men and everything?” 

“We’ll be fine,” Magnus said, scraping down the sides of his bowl for one last bite. "No one liked Kalen enough to come after the person who killed him. There will be a scramble for power but other than that, life will continue on as normal." 

"Well," Taako said, desperate to end the sappy moment and start the journey home. "If you do get your ass in trouble, I'll know." He tapped his chest in reference to the marks that still connected him and Magnus. 

Magnus just rolled his eyes. "It's nice to know my soulmate is an asshole." 

“And it’s nice to know that my soulmate isn’t getting his ass handed to him anymore,” Taako retorted.

Magnus snorted and rolled his eyes, and Taako was satisfied to have the last word in the petty argument. He spun on his heel, flipped his hair, and sauntering out the door. He didn’t even bother looking for Kravitz, knowing that the reaper would follow in his own due time. Along with Merle. Taako was used to being the one chased and it was nice to get back to being just that.

“Taako,” Kravitz called, right on time. There was the crunch of his footsteps as he rushed to catch up with Taako, and then he was grabbing Taako’s hand again. “Why did you walk out? I think Magnus was still saying goodbye.” 

“No, I don’t think he was,” Taako said with a smirk. “You know, being his soulmate, I think I know him a bit better than you.” 

Kravitz gave his arm a shake, but they continued walking, arriving at the first bridge. Kravitz glanced back when there was the sound of more footsteps but Taako didn’t bother. He knew it was Merle and that the dwarf didn’t deserve a second glance. 

“I’m glad to see you’re back to your old self,” Kravitz said. “Cocky again. Dare I say happy?” 

Taako giggled. “Pain-free,” he said. “Ready to get out of this town. Get back to comfort. Come on, Kravitz, don’t you want to get back home?” 

“I do,” Kravitz said, giving his hand a squeeze. 

With Merle by their side, they crossed the other bridges, stopped by the Stranger’s Inn to grab their bags and clothes, and then took the next elevator out of Raven’s Roost. The guards didn’t talk with them, only exchanged a couple dirty looks. Even Merle was smart enough to realize that any jokes or snide comments weren’t appropriate right now. 

If Taako were being honest, he did look back over his shoulder at Raven’s Roost and it was more than a glance. 

He took a good, hard look at the stone pillars that held up the buildings. If Taako didn’t know any better, he would have labelled all of the civilians fishmongers or pirates or thieves or some other occupation like that. If he saw the town from a distance, he would have dismissed it within a second thought, deeming it too dirty to have anything interesting. He still thought that now. But now he knew that it wasn't all _completely_ terrible. 

He then pulled himself a bit tighter against Kravitz’s side and turned his back on Raven’s Roost. 

Because if anyone asked him, he was going to lie and say he didn't look back, not even once.

Merle was on the opposite side of the elevator and was pulling his sleeves up to his elbow, staring down at the insides of his arms. Taako wasn’t sure what he was doing until he saw the small circular marks that now dotted Merle’s skin. He stupidly wondered how the dwarf had hurt himself when he finally realized what was going on. 

“Marks?” he blurted out in surprise. 

Merle looked up and realized Taako was talking about him and nodded, offering his arms for examination. “Yeah, they started appearing suddenly. I didn’t want to say anything with the whole deal with Kalen and Magnus.” 

“Merle, that’s amazing!” Kravitz exclaimed. “Merle, do you know what this means?!” 

Merle shrugged. “If I learned anything from Selfish-M’gee over here, it doesn’t mean that much,” he said, jerking a thumb at Taako.

Taako narrowed his eyes at the insult but Kravitz was already talking and he didn’t get a chance to retort. 

“It can’t just mean nothing,” he said. “For Magnus and Taako, it meant someone needed help. In others, it means love. Your marks could still mean something even if your soulmate isn’t the one you love.” 

Merle just smiled knowingly and shrugged again, letting his sleeves fall down to cover the marks. “Istus says the marks can be love. She says they could be a call for help. She says they could be just a friendship between two people. I think she would be okay with the marks meaning nothing at all, too.” 

Taako snorted, but the explanation made enough sense. He kinda liked thinking about marks like that and even though Kravitz seemed a little put off by Merle’s indifference, he completely agreed with the dwarf. 

“We deserve rest,” he said. “All of us, after all of that. We can save Merle’s marks for another day if need be. I’m gonna go sleep for a week.” 

“Yeah,” Merle said. “Enough work, we should party!” 

The elevator ground to a halt on the other side of the gap, and the guards opened the doors to let them out onto solid ground. There wasn’t really any point in lingering, and they immediately started the long trek back to Taako and Kravitz’s hometown. Merle was already whistling amiably, hands in his pockets and as strolled carefree. 

Taako felt a twinge of his wrist and glanced down to watch a new set of marks appear on his skin. They were thin and shaky, like someone was using a quill to write on their skin and pressing a bit too hard. As he watched, the words wrote themselves, and he smirked. 

‘Goodbye’ in all its spidery, shaky glory of someone who barely knew the alphabet.

Magnus really needed to work on his handwriting. 

Taako just tucked his hand into his pocket before Kravitz could notice the new mark and start worrying all over again. Perhaps Taako would respond, eventually. Perhaps he wouldn’t. There wasn’t really any need to, but knowing that there was someone, just under his skin, watching to see if he hurt himself, one hundred percent not in love with him, was a comforting thought. And for the first time in a while, Taako didn’t hate the idea of soulmates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey I'm on tumblr @manuscript-or


End file.
